Short answer: No. Rod Stewart performed in Israel multiple times over the decades, but he is not a supporter of Israel's government or its current war conduct. In June 2025 he explicitly accused Prime Minister Netanyahu of trying to "annihilate" the Palestinians, comparing it to what happened to the Jews, and said he ended his friendship with Donald Trump over Trump's arms support for Israel. As of August 2026, that is where things stand.
What Rod Stewart has actually said and done
- 1983: Rod Stewart performed in Israel for the first time, at what was described as the height of his career, according to the Times of Israel.
- 2010: Stewart returned to Israel for a second concert, the Times of Israel reported.
- January 2017: Stewart announced he would close out his "Hits" world tour with a June 14, 2017 concert at Yarkon Park in Tel Aviv, per the Times of Israel and i24NEWS.
- January-February 2017: A group of Celtic Football Club supporters, invoking Stewart's lifelong fandom of the club, launched a petition urging him to cancel the Tel Aviv show in solidarity with the BDS cultural boycott of Israel. It stood at 380 signatures when The Jewish Chronicle reported on it and passed 1,500 within 24 hours according to Middle East Eye.
- June 13-14, 2017: Stewart went ahead with the concert anyway, landing in Israel on June 13 and performing in Tel Aviv despite the boycott campaign, according to the Jerusalem Post.
- June 2025: In a Radio Times interview timed to his Glastonbury Festival appearance, Stewart said, "What Netanyahu is doing to the Palestinians is exactly what happened to the Jews. It's annihilation, and that's all he wants to do, get rid of them all," directly criticizing Israel's conduct in the Gaza war. The remarks were reported by the Jerusalem Post and HuffPost.
- June 2025: In the same interview, Stewart said he could no longer count Donald Trump, his Palm Beach neighbor and former friend, as a friend because of Trump's continued arms sales to Israel, asking, "How's that war ever gonna stop?" according to Jewish News (UK) and the Jerusalem Post.
The context behind the concerts and the criticism
Rod Stewart is a Scottish rock singer, born January 10, 1945 in London to a Scottish father, and he is not Jewish; there is no known Jewish-identity connection tied to his career. He has no record of donations to Israeli causes, boycott refusals beyond simply performing there, or appearances at pro-Israel functions. His relationship with Israel, on the record, comes down to touring history (1983, 2010, and the well-publicized June 2017 Tel Aviv show, which he played despite the Celtic-fan petition aligned with the BDS movement) and, more recently, pointed public criticism of the country's leadership.
In June 2025, amid the Israel-Iran conflict and the ongoing Gaza war, Stewart told Radio Times that Netanyahu's campaign against Palestinians amounted to "annihilation," language that drew an explicit comparison to the historical persecution of Jews and prompted strong pushback in Jewish and Israeli press. He also said the episode ended his personal friendship with Donald Trump over U.S. arms support for Israel. No walk-back, apology, or restatement of these comments has been reported since, and no subsequent Israel concert or reconciliatory gesture has surfaced through August 2026.
The bottom line
Rod Stewart is not a supporter of Israel's government or its war conduct. He has a decades-long history of performing in Israel, including going through with a 2017 Tel Aviv show despite a boycott petition, but that touring history reflects professional history, not political endorsement. Since June 2025 he has been an open critic, accusing Netanyahu of "annihilating" Palestinians and citing Israel's war as the reason he cut ties with Donald Trump. Shoppers looking for artists who have actually stood with Israel will want to look elsewhere.
Wear your own answer
Celebrity opinions shift, but your support for Israel doesn't have to wait on anyone's approval. Shop Israel's I Stand With Israel collection lets you say it plainly, no ambiguity, no mixed messages, just a clear statement piece you can wear every day.
Related
Does Elton John Support Israel?
Does Bruce Springsteen Support Israel?
Does Coldplay Support Israel?
Last updated August 2026. We update these profiles as the record changes.
