New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft pledged $2 million for aid to the Middle East on Wednesday, matching a donation of the same amount by singer Ed Sheeran.

The commitment followed an uproar over Kraft’s decision to block one of Sheeran’s opening acts, Macklemore, from performing at his Boston-area venue, Gillette Stadium, over the rapper’s anti-Israel remarks at previous concerts and past antisemitic incidents.

“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,” Kraft said in a statement.

Kraft did not immediately indicate to which organizations the funds would be donated.

Kraft stressed that this decision was made before and independent of a similar “challenge” by Macklemore to donate funds to aid Palestinians.

While Jewish and Israeli leaders hailed Kraft’s decision to block Macklemore from performing at his stadium, the move sparked a wave of criticism against the Jewish philanthropist and Sheeran. Several other opening acts for Sheeran announced that they were dropping out over Macklemore’s departure.

In his statement announcing the $2 million donation, Kraft struck back at his critics, stressing his long-standing commitment to supporting peace-building between Israelis and Palestinians. 

“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,” Kraft wrote.