Elvis Costello cancels Israel concerts

TEL AVIV, Israel, May 18 (UPI) -- British rock icon Elvis Costello says on his Web site he has decided to cancel two planned concerts in Israel.

Costello, 55, was scheduled to perform in the country June 30 and July 1.

"There are occasions when merely having your name added to a concert schedule may be interpreted as a political act that resonates more than anything that might be sung and it may be assumed that one has no mind for the suffering of the innocent," the musician said on his Web site during the weekend.

Costello also offered his "sincere apologies" to ticket holders, concert organizers and media affected by his decision.

"Sometimes a silence in music is better than adding to the static and so an end to it," he said. "I cannot imagine receiving another invitation to perform in Israel, which is a matter of regret, but I can imagine a better time when I would not be writing this. With the hope for peace and understanding, Elvis Costello."