Despite Protests, Alicia Keys Says She Will Perform in Tel Aviv Alicia Keys said on Friday that she is going forward with a July 4 performance in Tel Aviv that has drawn calls from other artists to cancel as part of a larger cultural boycott of Israel. Ms. Keys, the R&B singer whose albums include "Girl on Fire," is scheduled to perform at the Nokia Arena in Tel Aviv on July 4 as part of her first trip to Israel. But musicians like Roger Waters and writers like Alice Walker have publicly asked her not to go forward with these plans to protest Israel's policies toward the Palestinians. In a letter posted at the Web site of a group called the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic & Cultural Boycott of Israel, Mr. Waters asked Ms. Keys "to join the rising tide of resistance." Mr. Waters introduced himself as a musician who "used to be in a band called Pink Floyd," adding, "believe it or not, I still work." His letter said: "Please, Alicia, do not lend your name to give legitimacy to the Israeli government policies of illegal, apartheid, occupation of the homelands of the indigenous people of Palestine." Ms. Walker, the author of "The Color Purple," wrote in her own open letter that, though she and Ms. Keys had never met, "I believe we are mutually respectful of each other's path and work." Ms. Walker continued: "It would grieve me to know you are putting yourself in danger (soul danger) by performing in an apartheid country that is being boycotted by many global conscious artists." In recent years, musicians like Elvis Costello, Gil Scott-Heron and the Pixies have withdrawn from scheduled events in Israel after pressure from pro-Palestinian groups, while other acts, including Elton John and Rihanna, have gone ahead with shows that have been protested. The scientist Stephen W. Hawking withdrew from an academic conference in Jerusalem in May, citing "advice from Palestinian academics that he should respect the boycott." In a statement to The New York Times, Ms. Keys said on Friday: "I look forward to my first visit to Israel. Music is a universal language that is meant to unify audiences in peace and love, and that is the spirit of our show.