Palestinian, Israeli artists perform with Alicia Keys

Along with Israeli artist Idan Raichel, Palestinian qanun player Ali Amr joined U.S. musician Alicia Keys on stage to perform her song “We Are Here” at the Global Citizen music festival in New York at the weekend.

The festival, organized by the Global Citizen initiative, hosted music industry giants like Jay-Z, Carrie Underwood, Beyoncé, Tiesto and The Roots.

Amr played the qanun, while Raichel sat across Keys on a Piano. The two artists occasionally joined a pregnant Keys in singing the song, whichs spoke of inter-cultural dialogue addressing global conflicts.

Morocco-born Amr, who goes by the stage name of Amr Paris, has performed at the United Nations, the Carnegie Hall, among other coveted venues.

His website lists a series of collaborations with high-profile names such as Quincy Jones.

The festival went on for six hours and featured addresses from heads of charitable foundations. Concert screens also showed videos in between performances on the plight of those suffering of poverty, addressing the main theme of the festival.

The New York Times reported 60,000 people flocked to see artists perform for a good cause.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also made an appearance where he pledged to provide toilets to all Indians by 2019.

The Global Citizen movement, based in New York, aims to help its supporters “find effective and relevant ways to create change, as individuals and as a community.”