Cohen Sells Out In A Day

The furor over Leonard Cohen’s Israeli show looks to have died down as the Sept. 24 concert near Tel Aviv sold out in a day.

Although various groups including one that described itself as “longtime fans” have urged the legendary Canadian singer-songwriter not to play Israel, it seems 47,000 of his fans do want to see him and have already bought tickets for the Ramat Gan stadium date.

“All of Israel is coming to watch Leonard Cohen. It’s really great,” ticket agent Avi Messing told Israel’s Channel 2 TV after all the tickets – costing between $90 and $315 – had been sold.

The protesters urged Cohen to stay away to demonstrate his disapproval of the increasing force the Israeli army has been showing in Gaza and the West Bank. They weren’t appeased when a second Israeli show was set up in the region at Ramallah.

The U.K.’s Guardian claimed the 74-year-old Canadian singer-songwriter announced he would perform in Tel Aviv as part of his world tour and then the Ramallah date was added later, allegedly in response to pro-Palestinian campaigners who had tried to dissuade Cohen from appearing in Israel.

This led to further criticism as the pro-Palestinian campaigners and others claimed the second show was a hollow attempt to “balance” performances. The second show was subsequently canceled.

The remaining show is now reported to be a fundraiser for Palestinian and Israeli groups working for reconciliation. Proceeds are said to be going to a special charitable fund in partnership with London-based human rights organization Amnesty International.

Initial beneficiaries may include a peace group made of the parents of Israelis and Palestinians killed in the conflict.

Others to benefit are said to be a children’s health program run by the Peres Center for Peace in Tel Aviv, an organization that brings together Israeli army veterans and former Palestinian fighters and a centre for special needs children in the West Bank city of Ramallah.