The post about “212” rapper Azealia Banks moving to Israel was made public this week, when she posted a photo on social media of what appears to be her new residence in Tel Aviv. She wrote “Moving in.” to mark the occasion.
Since she first performed at Barby in Tel Aviv in 2018, Banks has had a back-and-forth relationship with the country that has seen her switch between praising and criticizing it, often within months. That cycle has now ended with a move. Her recent posts now praise the country’s arts scene, while the old posts that criticized Israel have been removed from her X profile.
Banks’ First Trip to Israel
Banks first visited Israel in 2018, performing at Barby in Tel Aviv. Soon after, she said she experienced racist treatment at restaurants, shops and Ben Gurion Airport.
“I will never ever ever ever ever go to Israel again,” she wrote at the time on her old X account. “I didn’t get paid enough to put up with the social culture in Israel tbh. I won’t be coming back unless it’s for some real money.”
The 2025 Shift
The tone changed dramatically by 2025. During Israel’s ongoing conflict in Gaza, Banks posted a series of tweets about how Black people should not be supporting Palestine, including one where she explicitly stated, “I’m a Zionist.”
“The Arab world is not gonna push this oppressed victim shit off like they aren’t RAMPANTLY enslaving and degrading Africans behind closed doors,” she wrote during the spree.
For centuries, African enslavement has been documented across parts of the Islamic world, along with anti-Black prejudice that has developed in some Arab societies. The history, however, covers more than Palestine, a place that has its own longstanding Afro-Palestinian community.
The Return to Tel Aviv
Seven years after her last visit to Israel, Banks returned to the country, using the second anniversary of the October 7th attacks as the occasion for her trip. She visited the site of the 2023 Nova festival before her show in Tel Aviv, where she performed draped in the country’s flag and wearing a Star of David.
The March About-Face
In March, as the war with Iran raged, Banks abruptly redirected his ire toward Israel and blamed the country for pulling the United States into the conflict.
“On second thought, FUCK ISRAEL,” she wrote. “I actually HOPE Netanyahu is dead. We should strike a big [deal] with Iran and just go to war with Israel and keep the petrodollar strong.”
In September, the shift did not stick. Banks went back to doubting Black solidarity with Palestinians, posting about it in a way that remains on her profile.
“Its really the joint struggle of black solidarity with palestine that just doesnt really sit right with me,” she wrote. “Why would any modern black american want to trauma bond with a group that has nothing to offer us and weve spent no time building anything with?”
The Move Into Tel Aviv
This week, Banks announced her move with a captioned photo that read “Moving in,” and she offered an explanation for why she changed her mind.
“Tel Aviv to New York is the exact same distance as New York to LA,” she wrote. “Yall are acting like i moved to Australia lol. Im 5 hours away and here making my album FINALLY. I found some real camaraderie and some really cool music crew here.”
She also noted that it had been a “ironically just been easier to create here because Israel’s arts scene is really mature. People arent witholding stems and holding grudges about social issues and its freeing. Everyone in Israel thinks my political opinions fucking suck and think i have trash taste in men but no one is trying to sabotage me for that.”
What Is Real Here
Banks’ decision comes as a surprising twist in a saga stretching back years. She has cultivated a friendship with and mistreated Israel for a long time, and she has now relocated there. The irony is that she appears to have discovered exactly what she said she desired: a grown-up arts community, creative freedom and a city where people disagree with her without trying to sabotage her.
Banks has not given an explanation for the loss of her old posts, and she has not said whether the change in her posts reflects a shift in her beliefs or a choice to clean up her profile. The absence of her past posts leaves a gap in her online history.
Banks’ Upcoming Show
Banks is set to take the stage at the Tel Aviv Amphitheater on October 8th.
Her next stop in the city marks the first time she has returned since her 2018 visit, a trip that concluded with her stating she would never again set foot there unless she received a better salary.
The Order of Her Israel Story
- 2018: Performs at Barby, experiences racist treatment, vows never to return.
- 2025: Shifts to “I’m a Zionist,” criticizes Black support of Palestine.
- Return around the second anniversary of the October 7th attacks: visits the 2023 Nova festival site, performs draped in the flag and wearing a Star of David.
- March: Blames Israel for dragging the U.S. into the Iran conflict, calls for war.
- September: Questions Black solidarity with Palestinians.
- October 2026: Announces move to Tel Aviv, old anti-Israel posts have disappeared.
Her pivot toward Israel is not the conclusion of her story. She has a new album in the works, and the Amphitheater show will mark her first performance in the city since her 2018 visit.
That show will test whether her new enthusiasm for Tel Aviv is real. Banks has made quick about-faces before.
She has also settled in, and the image of her new residence in Tel Aviv stands as proof. It is not a publicity stunt, but a declaration of intent.
It is not yet clear whether she will be able to carry on with the warmth she has shown in recent posts, but for the moment, she is committed.
See the video the story is built around at Consequence.
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