Radiohead singger Thom Yorke has responded to artists such as Pink Floyd's Roger Waters and director Ken Loach calling on the pioneering rock band to cancel, saying such demands have been patronising.

In a Twitter post last week, Yorke said "playing in a country isn't the same as endorsing its government".

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"We've played in Israel for over 20 years through a succession of governments, some more liberal than others. As we have in America. We don't endorse (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu any more than (US President Donald) Trump, but we still play in America."

He added that "music, art and academia is about crossing borders not building them, about open minds not closed ones, about shared humanity, dialogue and freedom of expression."

A boycott campaign over Israel's five-decade occupation of Palestinian territory has been under way for years, but Radiohead’s concert has received particular attention due to the British band's reputation for political activism.

Band members have spoken out in favour of environmental causes and against what they see as unfair global trade rules.

Radiohead’s 2003 album "Hail to the Thief" was seen in part as a response to the George W. Bush presidency in the United States.

Beyond that, it remains one of the world's biggest rock bands, lauded by critics for stretching the boundaries of the genre after first coming to prominence in the 1990s.

Loach, the widely lauded director of politically engaged films such as "The Wind That Shakes the Barley" and "I, Daniel Blake," wrote recently that "if they go to Tel Aviv, they may never live it down".

"Radiohead need to decide if they stand with the oppressed or with the oppressor," he wrote in an opinion piece in Britain's Independent. "The choice is simple."

Israelis tend to rally around artists who defy such boycott calls and the same has been the case with Radiohead.

There have been calls for Israelis to buy tickets in support -- though at 484 shekels ($135, 117 euros), it's a steep price to pay.

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