JERUSALEM (JTA) — Madonna has donated 600 tickets to her concert in Israel to Israeli and Palestinian peace activists.
Some 30,000 fans are expected to attend what Madonna is calling a "concert for peace" on Thursday at Ramat Gan Stadium near Tel Aviv. The performance is launching the pop star’s world tour.
On Wednesday, Madonna met with Israeli and Palestinian peace activists, according to Haaretz. She said she would talk about peace during the show.
In March, Madonna had announced her show as a peace concert and said she would invite activists, saying in a statement: “Music is so universal, and if there’s any chance that through my performance I can bring further attention and enlightenment to honor the peace efforts in the Middle East and help people come together, it would be an honor for me. It is my way of thanking those who are making so much effort toward bringing peace to the Middle East.”
Madonna, 54, twice has performed sold-out shows in Israel, including the last performance of her "Sticky and Sweet" tour in 2009. She also has visited Israel with her children as part of her devotion to the study of kabbalah; they are with her now.
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