The Palestinian artist, Mohammed Assaf, announced that his song “Dammi Falastini” (My Blood is Palestinian), which is over 8 years old, has been deleted from the platforms “Spotify” and “Apple Music.” The reason given for the deletion was “anti-Semitism” and the claim that the song “incites against the Zionist enemy.”

Assaf expressed his surprise upon learning of the deletion of his song through social media. When he checked his profiles on “Spotify” and “Apple Music,” he discovered that “Dammi Falastini” had indeed been removed. He stated that this deletion only adds to his honor, as his songs represent the resistance of the Palestinian people against the occupation.

Mohammed Assaf further added that even if the song is deleted, it remains embedded in the memory and conscience of every Palestinian and anyone who supports the rights of the Palestinian people to freedom and independence.

He regarded the actions of “Spotify” and “Apple Music” as evidence of their hostility, as well as that of those who follow their lead, towards freedom, justice, and the noble cause of a free Palestine. It’s worth mentioning that “Dammi Falastini” was released in 2015 and features lyrics by Suleiman Assaf, with music and arrangement by Wael Shurafa.

However, in a surprising turn of events, Spotify released a statement denying their involvement in the song’s removal.

The statement from Spotify‘s spokesperson reads:

“Spotify aims to provide a wide range of music on our platform, but availability may vary over time and by country. The removal of some of Mohammed Assaf’s content was not determined by Spotify but rather by the distributor. We expect it to return in the near future and apologize for any inconvenience caused.”

It’s also important to note that Spotify and Apple Music would not collaborate to remove an 8-year-old song together, but the distributors do have the authority to remove it from both platforms.

At the time of writing, it remains unclear whether Assaf was aware of his distributor’s actions or not.