(JTA) — Shout it out loud: Gene Simmons thinks Israel boycotters among his rocking colleagues are "fools."
Simmons, the Kiss co-founder known for his seemingly endless tongue, returned to Israel this week as part of his reality show, "Gene Simmons’ Family Jewels."
Simmons, born Chaim Witz, left Israel as a child with his mother 50 years ago and settled in New York.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Simmons blasted rockers such as Elvis Costello, the Pixies and Roger Waters, who are boycotting the Jewish state because of its West Bank settlement policies and its use of closures to pressure the Gaza Strip in its conflict with its Hamas rulers.
He said they were "fools" for boycotting the region’s only democracy.
"The countries they should be boycotting are the same countries that the populations are rebelling," he said.
Kiss, a glam-rock band known as much for its outrageous costumes and makeup as its anthemic music, scored huge fame and hits in the mid-1970s with songs like "Detroit Rock City," "Shout It Out Loud" and "I Wanna Rock and Roll All Nite (and Party Every Day)."
