Israeli ambassador extends invitation

Israel’s ambassador to New Zealand hopes to convince Lorde to change her mind during a ‘‘friendly meeting on Israel’’.

Speaking from Wellington, Itzhak Gerberg said he sent out an invitation on Twitter to the 21-year-old Kiwi singer, but was yet to hear anything back.

Gerberg said she was encouraging ‘‘animosity in the region’’ by ‘‘succumbing to the hateful agenda’’ of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.

According to Jerusalem Post reporter Amy Spiro, Lorde cancelled her 2018 concert in Tel Aviv this week following after an open letter written by two young Kiwi women, one Jewish and one Palestinian, who asked her not to go.

Spiro published a statement from Lorde that read: ‘‘I think the right decision at this time is to cancel the show. I pride myself on being an informed young citizen, and I had done a lot of reading and sought a lot of opinions before deciding to book a show in Tel Aviv, but I’m not too proud to admit I didn’t make the right call on this one.’’

Lorde has yet to make a public statement.

Gerberg said Lorde’s decision was regrettable, and he would take the opportunity to meet with her to ‘‘explain that Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East’’.

‘‘I think music is a such a wonderful language of colour, hope and peace,’’ Gerberg said.

He said his three children aged 29, 23 and 19 lived in Israel and were fans of hers.

‘‘They were really disappointed that she’s not coming, she’s really a great singer and we would love to see her in Israel,’’ Gerberg said.

‘‘I hope that she will change her mind.’’

Lorde’s decision to cancel her June 5 show in Tel Aviv has caused a wave of reactions from Israeli fans worldwide.

In another statement translated by Spiro, Israel’s culture minister Miri Regev asked her to reverse her decision.

‘‘Lorde, I’m hoping you can be a ‘pure heroine,’ like the title of your first album, be a heroine of pure culture, free from any foreign – and ridiculous – political considerations,’’ he said.