The Pixies have cancelled their upcoming trip to Israel in light of the controversial raid on a flotilla bound for Gaza last week. The band made this statement:

The decision was not reached easily. We all know well the Israeli fans have been waiting for this visit for far too long. We'd like to extend our deepest apologies to the fans but events beyond all our control have conspired against us.

The band was set to perform on June 9th at the Pic.Nic festival. The cancellation has been linked to the May 31st raid by Israeli forces on ships that were said to be carrying aid to Gaza. Nine activists were killed and many others were injured in the action, which took place in international waters. Other recent cancellations include Elvis Costello, The Klaxons and Gorillaz.

Producer Shuki Weiss took a contrary position describing the cancellation as "cultural terror against the State of Israel."