The hashtag #RihannaGate is quick to report the diva's latest dramas, like when she was kicked out of a mosque in Abu Dhabi earlier this week.
So when Rihanna announced she would be playing in Israel as part of her Diamond tour, the pro-Palestinian Boycott Divestment and Sanctions movement was quick to # and call on her to cancel.
Palestinian movement BDS protest against Rihanna (@rihanna) gig in Israel http://t.co/VrpwtKlYuq via @Gigwise #BDS
— Joe Catron (@jncatron) October 19, 2013
The BDS movement is a "global campaign of boycotts, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel until it complies with international law and Palestinian rights," according to the group's official website. These campaigns take different forms to varying impact, but often target high profile figures to attract media attention. The Israeli government has repeatedly denounced the BDS movement as delegitimization of Israel and Israeli citizens.
Rihanna did not cancel, and the pop star came to Israel to pose in a bikini in the Dead Sea and sing and dance before 50,000 people.
She was late for her concert. But many still loved the show.
My picture of Rihanna from her concert in Tel Aviv, Israel (yesterday) #4 (One of my favourites!) #DiamondsWorldTour
✨Vered✨
@West_Girl
My picture of Rihanna from her concert in Tel Aviv, Israel (yesterday) #4 (One of my favourites!) #DiamondsWorldTour
As per usual, there were also some haters.
Spoke to someone who went to #Rihanna thinks she lip synced the whole show. #Rihannagate #Israel
— Brian of London (@brianoflondon) October 24, 2013
Then the Israeli newspaper Haaretz brought #RihannaGate back when they reported in their English language edition that the singer replaced the phrase "dollar sign" with "Palestine" in her song "Pour It Up" during her Tel Aviv concert.
Singing in #Israel, @Rihanna replaced 'dollar signs' with '#Palestine:' Her local fans kept singing along http://t.co/lmxH7AJXJv #pouritup
— Haaretz.com (@haaretzcom) October 23, 2013
The claim immediately went viral on Twitter, making its way into Israeli news and U.S. media like the HuffingtonPost and BuzzFeed, as well as the English-language Arab press.
But, the Haaretz reporter heard it wrong.
CORRECTION: Video footage shows #Rihanna 'All I see is Palestine' lyric change was mistaken. For full correction, see http://t.co/lmxH7AJXJv
— Haaretz.com (@haaretzcom) October 24, 2013
Lahav Harkov, a journalist with the Jerusalem Post who was at the concert, was the first to call into question what Haaretz English, the Post's competitor, wrote.
@MiriamElder I was there and I didn't hear her say it. Only Haaretz reported it. I really don't think it's true.
— Lahav Harkov (@LahavHarkov) October 23, 2013
But the false claim had already inspired a pro-Palestinian Instagram theme like these.
Rihanna Shows how famous people can speak up against Apartheid, when she changed her lyrics to All I c is #Palestine
Matias
@MRMATIAS
Rihanna Shows how famous people can speak up against Apartheid, when she changed her lyrics to All I c is #Palestine
And contentious Twitter conversations like these.
This is a good time to thank @Rihanna for standing up for peace and rejecting #BDS hate by coming to #Israel. Toda Raba, Rihanna! Thank you!
— Avi Mayer (@AviMayer) October 22, 2013
Palestinians aren't asking for a shoutout while you perform in an apartheid state, they're calling on artists to respect the boycott. #BDS
— Remi Kanazi (@Remroum) October 24, 2013
@michaeldickson @haaretzcom Maybe she doesn't recognise Ireland either! The 60k of us were addressed as Dublin #HowVeryDareShe #Rihannagate
— Cleo Connolly (@CleoMConnolly) October 24, 2013
Part of the tweet's controversy came from Haaretz's position in the Israeli media: as the stalwart leftist paper, critics are quick to point out when Haaretz gets Palestine wrong.
In every other respected newspaper Amy Klein would've been fired. In @haaretzcom she will probably get an award. #Rihanna
— Ido Daniel (@IdoDaniel) October 24, 2013
It was also largely an online, English speaking controversy: While Haaretz published the story on their front page the next day, the Hebrew language edition, which has a larger print circulation, did not include a translated version.
.@Haaretz put misleading @Rihanna story on front page. Will they @HuffingtonPost retract? http://t.co/E8tdmCyaOZ
MichaelDickson
@michaeldickson
.@Haaretz put misleading @Rihanna story on front page. Will they @HuffingtonPost retract? http://t.co/E8tdmCyaOZ
The latest #RihannaGate controversy became yet another reminder of how polarizing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains. In this instance, no other news sites corroborated Haaretz's claims, and rather than advance the conversation, Twitter users largely fell along traditionally polarized lines.
As the Washington Post concluded:
The whole episode was pretty silly. So why are you reading about it? Because this is a reminder of how remarkably sensitive the politics of the Israel-Palestinian conflict can get, and indeed always are. The mere hint of a one-word political statement by a 25-year-old Barbadian pop star, during a highly non-political event, was enough to generate controversy and debate in multiple countries.
Love or hate Rihanna, she got Americans talking about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict — albeit in 140 characters or less.