Following Eddie Vedder’s comments during a Pearl Jam concert about the Israel/Palestine conflict, the singer took to the band’s website to pen an anti-war statement following the criticism he received after the rant. Many Israeli news outlets dubbed his comments as anti-Israel and fans in the country voiced their outrage directly to the band.

In the statement, he referenced John Lennon’s “Imagine” several times and, not surprising, he would cover the song for the first time ever. Before the performance, Vedder said he believed it is “the most powerful song ever written” and that is why he hadn’t played it before.

In other Vedder news, Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic commented on the controversy surrounding the frontman with a lengthy post on his blog. In it, Novoselic thanked Vedder for speaking out on the issue and urging peace. He closed the post with, “Thanks Eddie for sharing your feelings. I stand with you my friend!!!”