Alicia Keys denies making subtle 'ode' to Hamas attacks after backlash over paragliding post

Los Angeles, Oct 17 (IANS) Singer Alicia Keys has set the record straight after she was accused of supporting Hamas amid the terror attacks in Israel.

After receiving backlash over her paragliding post, the singer insisted that her Instagram photo had nothing to do with the war in the Middle East.

"The post I shared earlier was COMPLETELY unrelated in any way to the recent devastating loss of innocent lives," the 'If I Ain't Got You' hitmaker wrote via her Instagram story, reports aceshowbiz.com. 

The singer stressed: "My heart has been breaking.... I pray for and stand for peace."

Alicia got into trouble after posting a photograph of herself wearing a green leather racing jacket with black and white highlights, in colours some said were reminiscent of the black, white, green and red seen on Palestine's flag.

In the caption, she asked her followers: "What would u do if you weren't afraid of anything??? Tell me your truth... I've had my eyes on paragliding." 

The singer later deleted the post, but it had already caught the attention of some social media users, who weighed in with speculation about the meaning of the post. 

They believed that Keys sent coded messages to signal her support to Hamas.

The advocacy group StopAntisemitism shared a screenshot of Keys’ controversial post on X (formerly Twitter), and questioned her intention. 

"Is this some sick ode to the Hamas terrorists that infiltrated Israel, killed over 1300 people, beheaded babies, raped women, and kidnapped Holocaust survivors @aliciakeys?" they asked, before the singer issued her statement to deny the accusation.

Meanwhile, famed music manager Guy Oseary, who was born in Israel, was quick to come to Alicia's defence. 

Taking to his own Instagram, he shared a photo of him with the singer and wrote, "There's talk of an antisemitic post that my dear friend Alicia Keys had up on her instagram. I can confirm to anyone in my (Star of David emoji) community that needs to hear it: it's NOT true."

In reference to the use of the word paragliding in Alicia's post, he explained, "There was a specific word in her post that our community at this very painful time find very triggering, but it was absolutely not connected in any way."

Guy added, "I spoke to Alicia and she was horrified to learn what the word implied and immediately took it down. Alicia has always been a fighter for all human rights. I've had a front row seat for over a decade of seeing her positive influence in the world. Her humanitarian work reflects her empathy and her heart."