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Azealia Banks Has Moved To Israel

The controversial rapper has relocated to Tel Aviv, after years of criticizing the country and vowing she would never go back.

Azealia Banks Has Moved To Israel
ARNOLD JEROCKI/GETTY IMAGES
Billy Eff
By Billy EffOct 07, 2026
Billy Eff

Billy Eff is the Content Director for Rolling Stone Canada. An award-winning journalist and columnist, he has previously contributed to outlets including VICE and Urbania. A passionate advocate for underground music and a musician himself, he has conducted several hundred interviews with artists and industry professionals across a wide range of styles and genres over the past 15 years. He is based in Montréal, Québec.

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It's been a while since we had a new, unhinged update from everyone's favourite uncancelleable entertainer, Azealia Banks. After years of criticizing Israel, to the point where her comments have their own section on her Wikipedia page (which is a fascinating read), the 212 rapper has moved to Tel Aviv.

"If you would have told me years ago id end up moving to Tel Aviv and liking it, I would have said youre crazy 🤪🇮🇱," she shared on X on Tuesday, October 6. She has also said she is working on new music with Israeli producer Yinon Yahel and has found the country’s music scene unusually welcoming.

In 2018, Banks performed in Tel Aviv and subsequently said she would never return to Israel after describing experiences she characterized as racist. She even told her followers that her Israeli fans would have to travel to see her because she would not be coming back.

In 2025, Banks returned to Tel Aviv and performed while wearing an Israeli flag and Star of David necklace. Around the same period, she became an outspoken supporter of Israel and identified herself as a Zionist, while attacking the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement as antisemitic. She also argued against the idea of a Palestinian state and said Palestinian territory should instead be part of Israel.

Then, in March 2026, amid the war involving Israel and Iran, Banks publicly turned on Israel again, writing that she hoped Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was dead and declaring, "F*** ISRAEL." She criticized Israel's actions and said she no longer supported the country.

Azealia Banks is scheduled to perform her first concert in her new hometown tomorrow, October 8, at at the Tel Aviv Amphitheater.

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