‘What in the hummus?’: Israeli-Palestinian pop group as1one irks internet with debut song ‘All Eyes On Us’

A boyband called ‘As1one’ (pronounced: as one) has become the internet’s latest pet peeve. The six-member act, which prides itself in being the “world’s first Israeli-Palestinian pop group,” came out of nowhere on September 13 and dropped its debut single ‘All Eyes On Us’ — an eerie reminder of the All Eyes on Rafah trend that saw 45 million Instagram users sharing an AI-generated image in support of the besieged city in May.

The group comprises four Israeli members — Ohad Attia, Niv Lin, Nadav Philips, and Neta Rozenblat — and two Palestinian members — Sadik Dogosh and Aseel Farah. Sending a message of Israeli-Palestinian unity at a time when Israel’s assault on Gaza has killed 41,534 people, the title of their debut single could have been dismissed as ignorance had they been from anywhere else in the world.

Released with Chic co-founder Nile Rodgers, the track is being dragged online for completely disassociating from reality while painting a bubbly picture of Israeli-Palestinian unity by virtue of its members’ nationalities.

Its music video does not explicitly call for peace or even address the elephant in the room, instead, it shows the boyband dancing around LA, living the American dream. Meanwhile, on the day of its release, Israel killed at least 19 Palestinians in attacks across the Gaza Strip, including in “safe zones”.

Unlike some of the propaganda music that has come out of Israel since October 7, ‘All Eyes On Us’ doesn’t propagate hatred for a particular group or dehumanise anyone, yet it is jarring in the face of Israel’s siege of the Gaza Strip, which nears a year.

The band’s reception has been cold, to say the least. Palestinian journalist Ahmed Eldin shared a snippet of the song on Instagram to write, “What in the hummus is this? So now the CIA is Lou Pearlmaning?” Louis Jay Pearlman was an American music manager and scam artist behind many successful 90s boy bands, including the Backstreet Boys and NSYNC.

Journalist Motaz Azaiza commented on his post with throwing up emojis. A user from Gaza commented, “I’m Gazan and this is the worst thing I’ve seen in 12 months.” Another speculated, “Do you mean Israelis and Israelis pretending to be Palestinians?”

One added sarcastically, “New Kids Own The Land? The Bomb Street Boys? N’vada? Settle N’ Peppa?”

Another inquired, “What is the group name? The settlers?” One comment read, “They called it ‘All Eyes On Us’. The utter audacity.” Users asked whether this was supposed to make them forget the slaughter of children?“

Many couldn’t believe Nile Rodgers “had a hand in this,” given his history of political activism as a member of the Black Panther Party.

The band’s coming together is rather pre-arranged and its moves are backed by labels and influential figures in the music business. It would not have existed if UMG hadn’t opened an office in Tel Aviv.

After UMG Israel came into being, it partnered with James Diener and Ken Levitan — the former facilitated Maroon 5’s first record deal, while the latter’s company is home to Kesha and Kid Rock. Together, they set out to find a six-member boy band that was supposed to be “Israel’s take on BTS or One Direction,” according to Variety.

Diener and Levitan brought as1one together after working with Israeli and Palestinian casting directors in 2021. “The intention wasn’t necessarily to bring Israelis and Palestinians together but that’s what happened as the talent pool was narrowed down,” a Billboard article stated.

After coming together as a band, as1one flew to Los Angeles on October 6 last year — a day before Hamas attacked Israel.

The boyband also has a video capturing its journey to LA and everything that followed. It sees them reacting to the Hamas attack and the Israeli attacks that followed. Farah, one of the Palestinian members, is heard saying, “What’s happening in Israel can either bring us together or break us apart.” An Israeli member says, “Any individual has a right to defend himself.”

In another instance, Farah tells his bandmates, “I am not expecting any of you to support anything Palestinian so I’m asking you to not expect me to support anything Israeli.” The video gives the impression that the band, while affected by Israel’s war on Gaza, is steering clear of taking any sides.

In light of the ongoing devastation in Gaza, as1one’s debut feels misplaced, at best. The idea behind the song could’ve been well-intended but its execution completely falls flat, ignoring the realities of the war. The intentions behind creating such a band are also unclear — leaving one wondering whether this is a misplaced attempt at unity or a more nefarious propaganda.

‘All Eyes On Us’ may have intended to symbolise harmony, but in its attempt to stay neutral, the band and its management have landed themselves into murky waters. As Gaza remains under siege and death tolls rise, the song’s cheerful tone and its focus on the band rather than actual people dying in Gaza and now in Lebanon, are incredibly out of touch.