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Festival director Ian Scobie confirmed the line-up change, telling this masthead that organisers tried to find an Israeli artist in November, too, but eventually decided not to invite one.

“WOMADelaide formed the view that the situation unfolding in the Middle East and the associated climate of community protests, division, and uncertainty surrounding the conflict at that time presented a real concern for the safety of all artists and audiences,” Mr Scobie said.

“Understandably, 47SOUL were disappointed by our decision. It was not one we made lightly at that time, and it was the first time the festival had felt the need to make such a decision.”

The band contacted him a few weeks ago asking WOMADelaide to reconsider, but Scobie advised it was not practically possible to include them in the line-up.

It’s unclear if festival organisers were concerned about any specific views held by members of the band, or whether the decision – like the decision not to invite an Israeli band – was made purely because of their nationality.

Australian singer-songwriter Jen Cloher, who is part of Sunday’s WOMADelaide program and has vowed to donate any profits from that performance to 47SOUL and the Palestinian cause, lashed out at organisers’ claims the decision was based on safety.

“The question needs to be asked, ‘whose safety?’ In light of this decision, do Arabic people attending the festival feel safe? Do Indigenous artists and audience members who see so clearly our solidarity with the Palestinian people feel safe?”

“I’ve been at many actions and don’t understand how protests in Australia are so unsafe that 47SOUL should be uninvited?”

Other performers on the WOMADelaide line-up have expressed strong views on Israel’s war in Gaza, including acclaimed Pakistani singer Arooj Aftab, who has repeatedly called for a ceasefire.

Adelaide Writers’ Week director Louise Adler, who was criticised by pro-Israel groups last year for including two Palestinian authors, Susan Abulhawa and Mohammed El-Kurd, on the bill, said, “the notion that people with different opinions might feel ‘unsafe’, proved to be an absolute furphy”.

The Middle East sessions at this year’s Writers’ Week, which ended on Thursday, were a sold-out success, she said.

“That over 2000 people are willing to gather at 8am to hear an international expert, Tareq Baconi, explain the history of Hamas or come after work to hear the eminent historian Avi Shlaim on being an Arab-Jew, shows Australians have a rapacious appetite for quality content,” she told this masthead.