Amman - The Jordanian government appeared Monday under mounting pressure to cancel the Jordan Festival after at least three local and Arab singers announced they will not be performing at the event, citing "suspicion of normalizing ties with Israel."The boycott announcements were made amid confusion regarding the involvement of a French company, Publicis Groupe, in organizing the Jordanian national festivity after it handled Israel's 60th anniversary celebrations last month.
Jordanian and other Arab artists' associations also said they intended to boycott the festival, scheduled to start on July 8 and run through August 9 and host big names in the entertainment industry including opera singers such as Placido Domingo, Monica Yunus and Julia Migenes.
Jordanian singer Omar al-Abdullat said in a statement that he would not be participating in the festival, citing "a lot of suspicion which is being raised about the organizing company."
President of the Cairo-based General Union of Arab Artists Sayyed Radi told the Jordan Times that Egyptian singers Amr Diab and Mohammad Hamaqi were not coming to Jordan for their scheduled concerts.
President of the Jordan Artists' Association Shaher Hadid said that "Omar al-Abdullat, Amir Diab and Mohammad Hamaqi and many Egyptian and Syrian participants have cancelled their trips."
Hadid said similar boycott decisions were being considered by many Arab singers like Lebanese pop star Elissa and the Kuwaiti singer Abdullah Ruwaished.
"We are doing our utmost so that no Arab singer or musician will take part in the festival because all artists are against normalization (with Israel) and we are siding with the Palestinian people," he added.
Meanwhile, the Jordanian authorities have denied as baseless the claim that the Publicis Groupe was involved in the Jordan Festival.
"The organization and supervision of the festival is 100 per cent by Jordanians," the managing director of the Jordan Tourism Board, Nayef Fayez, said.
"We only signed a deal with the French company Les Visiteurs du Soir to help us in contracting with singers and artists," he added.
The country's trade unions, Islamic-led opposition parties and several independent personalities have already issued statements urging the government to cancel the festival.
