Who is Robert Kraft, pro-Israel billionaire who cancelled Macklemore?

What the report says

Al Jazeera reports that American billionaire Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts, acknowledged pressuring Ed Sheeran to remove rapper Macklemore from the singer’s U.S. tour. The dispute centers on Macklemore’s pro-Palestine comments and performances, including remarks made at a New Jersey concert earlier this month that triggered criticism from pro-Israel groups and calls for his removal from the tour.

According to the article, Macklemore said in an Instagram post that Sheeran told him Kraft had said he would not be allowed to perform at Kraft’s stadium, and that Kraft had also encouraged other venue owners to block the tour if Macklemore remained on the bill. Kraft did not directly address that wider lobbying claim, but he said he believed Macklemore’s presence at Gillette Stadium would cross a line because of what he described as antisemitic rhetoric and imagery. Kraft also said he was willing to meet with Macklemore in person.

Sheeran publicly denied that he personally decided to cut Macklemore, saying the removal was driven by venues and promoters after objections to the rapper’s messaging. Macklemore, meanwhile, defended his remarks as support for Palestinians and broader calls for equal treatment. The article places the episode in the context of Kraft’s long-standing support for Israel and past interventions in campus protests and related political disputes.