Backstreet Boys confuse MH17 and Israeli-Gaza conflict

The Backstreet Boys in an impromptu interview with TMZ appeared to suggest that the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines (MAS) Flight MH17 was connected to the Israeli aggression in Gaza.

It was band member, AJ McLean , who was accosted by a TMZ journalist whilst in Malibu on Tuesday (29 July), that made the blunder, The Independent reported.

The band was scheduled to perform at Raanana Amphitheatre in Tel Aviv on that day, but they cancelled their string of live dates in the Middle East due to the ongoing violence in Israel and Gaza.

"We’ve got the most loyal fans down there, who have been waiting for years for us to come," he said.

When asked by TMZ if the band was disappointed by the cancellations and the reason behind it, he answered diplomatically: "It’s a horrible thing going on down there and we’re praying for both sides. You can’t pick a side."

"Safety, and all of us have families. Now, you can’t even fly there. If they had kept the ceasefire, we may have still gone, but you just don’t know and it’s not really worth running that risk. But it sucks for all of our fans down there, but we will definitely be coming back next year."

However, things took a turn for the better, when AJ was asked what he would do to solve the conflict. And his reply was without doubt laudable.

"It’s so hard to rethink. It’s a really unfortunate circumstance," he said.

Women and children are dying and planes are being shot out of the sky," he added.

"Violence doesn’t help anything. But hopefully they can come to an agreement and see eye-to-eye.

"I’m just hoping that it ends sooner than later, before anyone else has to die," AJ concluded.