Ian Anderson On Israel, Religion, Politics and His Thoughts on Netanyahu

For decades Ian Anderson has driven his Jethro Tull lyrics to talk of religion and spiritualty, the human condition and philosophy, and that theme has continued on the three recent Jethro Tull album ‘The Zealot Gene’ (2022), ‘RökFlöte’ (2023) and ‘Curious Ruminant’ (2025).

While the first two are more spiritual, ‘Curious Ruminant’ is more personal and philosophic for Ian. One track ‘Over Jerusalem’ talks of the current situation in Israel.

Watch the Ian Anderson Noise11 interview:

Ian explained the song to Noise11:

“I visited Jerusalem a few times. I spent a lot of time reading about Jerusalem and its fundamental importance to the three Abrahamic religions which it still holds today and the uneasy truce between Judaism, Islam and Christianity. When I say uneasy, it is more than uneasy. It is three sectors of society who are at time to time at each others throats”.

Ian says the current situation is Israel is deeply rooted in the region’s history. “The troubled 5000 year history of Jerusalem for me is a subject of some sadness, remorse. It would be easy to just push it to one side and say ‘just forget it, get on with it’, but I keep being drawn back to the current situation as well as the past with Jerusalem because it is such an important, emblematic city.

“It’s place, I hope, will become more secure in terms of presentation for the three societies who depend on it whether they are a resident or the countless visitors who used to come to Israel on something of a pilgrimage, whether it be Christians from all over the world with Jerusalem being the heart of Christian history and Christian spirituality. But, of course, it is equally so for Judaism. It has had that base as a major force within the tourist industry that made it equal to the other famous tourist resorts like Paris, London and Prague and Venice. Jerusalem, and indeed some other parts of Israel, are such a huge magnetic draw. But I doubt there are many people planning holidays there right at this moment”.

For Ian, touring Israel is currently out of the question but not because he is protesting the Netanyahu government. “I have had to say to my promoter in Israel that for now I don’t see me coming back to perform in Israel. From many points of view it is like lighting a blue touch paper to go over there to perform, and I’ve been there to perform many times to donate money to NGOs (Non Government Organisation) who support to inclusivity, especially those who support human rights, particularly women’s rights in Israel. But most importantly the co-education of three different faiths studying and learning together in the hope that that is a little glimmer of hope in a somewhat bleak future, that children do come up to respect each other through the learning process very often in music and the arts”.

Ian says he “won’t be bullied by idiots”. “That has been the focus of my attention is Jerusalem for all except the first occasion I went there. I refuse to be bullied by idiots. Those who get all hot and bothered that I should boycott Israel, that is not how I felt about it. If you can go there and make some tiny difference, no matter how tiny, then it falls very slightly on the side of being a positive. I don’t get involved personally or musically with politics. The current issues that exist may be driven by age old dogma and fears and in the contemporary sense very much by vengeance and retribution. I don’t want to get involved in the politics of Netanyahu or the activities of terror groups like Hamas. I try and stay clear of all of that and deal with the aspect that is a more esoteric one”.

Jethro Tull : Over Jerusalem

Tull’s latest album ‘Curious Ruminant’ is out now but also take time to revisit the two previous albums ‘The Zealot Gene’ and RökFlöte’.

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Tagged as: 60s, Ian Anderson, Israel, Jethro Tull, Netanyahu, Over Jerusalem, rock, UK