Robert Kraft not only matched Macklemore's donation, but he doubled it.

The Gillette Stadium owner responded to the rapper's request to donate $1 million to Palestinian relief groups and shared that he has donated $2 million to aid Palestinians amid the war in Gaza.

In a post on social media on Sept. 16, Kraft shared that Ed Sheeran was behind the doubling of the original donation request.

“I have dedicated much of my life to building bridges between all people. I believe deeply that all lives are worth protecting,” Kraft wrote in a statement shared to the Gillette Stadium across social media accounts. “Earlier today, before Macklemore challenged me to match his donation. Ed called me and asked me to commit $2 million to match his donation to aid in the region to fight this humanitarian crisis. Ed now plans to reach out to other venue owners, and our goal is to continue to work together to build bridges.”

He concluded his statement, “In addition, I'd like the people who are speaking in support of the Palestinian people to know that for decades, I have supported efforts that create opportunity for Palestinians and have brought young Palestinians and Israelis together to build businesses, create jobs, and forge relationships.”

Why did Macklemore ask Robert Kraft to donate to Palestine?

The request from the “Thrift Shop” rapper follows him being dropped from Sheeran's Loop Tour as an opener.  During the MetLife Stadium tour stops, Macklemore  made a “Free Palestine” speech alongside a performance of his protest song “Hind's Hall.” The “Shape of You” singer claimed that Kraft was behind Macklemore being let go from the tour after he expressed concern about the upcoming Boston stop of the tour to the Sheeran who seemingly gave the singer an ultimatum: “if Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues.”

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Kraft responded in his own message on social media, writing, “Gillette Stadium has a longstanding commitment to providing a welcoming environment for all guests and ensuring that events held at our venue do not provide a platform for hate speech. Based on Macklemore's recent actions, material shared from the stage during Ed Sheeran's shows in New Jersey, and a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery that we believe has been deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community, we determined that his participation in the September 25th and 26th concerts at Gillette Stadium would cross that line.”

He added, “This decision is not about diminishing the suffering of innocent Palestinians or denying anyone the right to advocate on their behalf. Their pain and loss are real. But that advocacy should not come at the expense of the Jewish community or obscure the responsibility of Hamas, a United States and globally designated terrorist organization whose horrific actions have caused immeasurable suffering for Palestinians and Israelis alike. I agree with Macklemore. Too many lives have been lost, and there has been too much suffering, but only sharing selective information and ignoring the actions of Hamas is not honest and only advances more divisiveness and hate.”

Sheeran also cleared the air that he was behind Macklemore's removal from the tour and the concert promotion company also shared a statement on their involvement in the decision behind the rapper being let go. The Messina Touring Group, promoter of the U.S. leg of Sheeran’s Loop Tour, told Rolling Stone about the removal of the rapper: “As the concert promoter for Ed Sheeran’s U.S. Loop Tour, we have been notified by venues on the upcoming U.S. tour dates that they will not allow a concert to take place with Macklemore on the lineup, which would result in the cancellation of the tour and impact hundreds of thousands of fans. After discussions with stakeholders, Macklemore will not be performing on the remaining support dates.”

While Sheeran shared a statement about his own political believes which, he states that he has them but will not be publicly sharing his position on the war in Gaza.

Hours after Sheeran posted his statement, his other openers, Aaron Rowe, Beoga, Lukas Graham, and Finneas, have all pulled out of the tour. 

At this time, there has not been a resolution on whether the openers will be replaced. Sheeran's next tour stop is at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA, scheduled for Saturday, September 19.