Music

The VMAs aired live on CBS and MTV, streamed on Paramount+, and were hosted by Snoop Dogg. Fans selected winners in the top categories.

Ed Sheeran’s carefully worded statement on Israel and Gaza avoids addressing Hamas and its role in the October 7 massacre.

The Grammy-winning rapper had been due to perform at eight additional Sheeran shows when he was removed last month from the tour following remarks at a show in New Jersey.

In November, when he performs at the same arena that Hynde did nine years ago, George will undoubtedly reenact the flag-waving scene, and the crowd will once again shake the rafters in pride.

The star has performed in Israel before, and last July he released "We Will Dance Again," a song inspired by the October 7 massacre and the Nova music festival.

The group is scheduled to present a repertoire intended to bridge cultures, including Zohar Argov’s “Yam Shel Dmaot” (“A Sea of Tears”), Abdel Wahab’s “Khayy Khay,” and Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.”

Sheeran also decried "systemic injustice" in the West Bank, where Israel's right-wing coalition government has allowed a massive expansion of ⁠Jewish settlements.

Paloma Faith criticized Ed Sheeran for staying out of the Gaza debate after Macklemore’s tour removal, saying major artists cannot remain apolitical as she defended the rapper’s activism.

Macklemore once apologized after a controversial costume drew accusations of antisemitism. A decade later, his pro-Palestinian activism and criticism of Israel have sparked renewed backlash.

The mural, on a slab that leans against ruined buildings surrounded by rubble, depicts the "Thrift Shop" rapper raising a fist in the air.