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Exclusive: Leonard Cohen to perform in West Bank as well as Israel

By Avi Issacharoff, Haaretz Correspondent

Tags: West Bank, Israel News

Last update - 13:56 25/06/2009

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1095627.html


International music legend Leonard Cohen will perform in the West Bank city of Ramallah two days after his upcoming performance in Israel, Haaretz has learned.

The concert in Ramallah is set to be held on September 26, in the Palestinian city's Cultural Palace; about 1,000 fans are expected to attend.

Cohen's decision came after pro-Palestinian activists attempted to dissuade the singer from performing in Israel.



The activists had urged supporters to "apply pressure during his tour by local groups along his path," in an appeal circulated on various pro-Palestinian mailing lists.


The sponsor of Cohen's concert in Israel, Discount Bank, confirmed the event on Wednesday; it is scheduled to take place at Ramat Gan Stadium on September 24.

The announcement put an end to the persistent rumors circulating in the past few months that the Canadian singer-songwriter's visit would be cancelled.

Are there any other sources to corroborate
this except Haaretz?

It will be great if Leonard really plays also in West Bank!

Dem

Agreed, this would be a great and meaningful gesture...

It seems a fascinating standing of logic on its head that a campaign for an Israel boycott now claims the possibility of LC playing two gigs, with dates on both sides of the Israel-Palestine divide, as a victory for a "no gigs" cause - particularly since a quotation I've read before the campaign began suggested LC wanted to perform to both audiences all along. If this is accurate information then it seems to be going the right way around to me, and Im pleased at the "justice" of it.

UrPal wrote:It seems a fascinating standing of logic on its head that a campaign for an Israel boycott now claims the possibility of LC playing two gigs, with dates on both sides of the Israel-Palestine divide, as a victory for a "no gigs" cause - particularly since a quotation I've read before the campaign began suggested LC wanted to perform to both audiences all along. If this is accurate information then it seems to be going the right way around to me, and Im pleased at the "justice" of it.

From here, there is this:

" 'Leonard Cohen, I am trying to stop laughing while destroying all my Cohen CD's, here is the response from his agent, I wonder, Cohen wouldn't dare go to Gaza, that would be too humanitarian, what? Stand on top of a ruin and sing? Leonard, you are jewish through and through, if I scratch you do you bleed? I am asking myself..how did you fool us for so long?'

Date: Mon, 27 Apr 2009 18:30:32 -0700
From: rkory
Subject: Re: L Cohen

'We are considering a charity concert; we would generate millions of dollars and a very positive message to aid the Palestinians. Your reaction is most uncharitable. You would silence healing music. Not sure you understand Leonard at all. The venom is remarkable to such good will on Leonard's part.

Robert Kory' "

Mr. Kory's response had been cited by "Pironi" earlier in the "Israel boycotters etc." thread in the politics section of the files.

Eskimo wrote:

Mr. Kory's response had been cited by "Pironi" earlier in the "Israel boycotters etc." thread in the politics section of the files.

You are giving misinformation. I have never cited anything by Mr. Kory, or anybody else, except an old Italian proverb. This is what I wrote on June 19:

I have been reading this thread in amazement. So much anger based on unfinished plans. We have an old proverb here in Italy about how wise it is to wait until you know everything before lifting up your voice, otherwise you might find yourselves in an embarrasing situation. I'm not going to travel to Israel, but I will express my opinion only after I have all the facts. Leonard Cohen may take all of us by surprise.
pietro.

I think I hit on the crux on the matter!
pietro.

pironi wrote:Eskimo wrote:

Mr. Kory's response had been cited by "Pironi" earlier in the "Israel boycotters etc." thread in the politics section of the files.

You are giving misinformation. I have never cited anything by Mr. Kory, or anybody else, except an old Italian proverb..

My apologies but I found Mr. Kory's statement in your post of May 19, 2009 found here and quoted below. I was only trying to acknowledge your having found it.

pironi wrote:I found this at http://www.paltelegraph.com/palestine/w ... inst-israe
pietro.

"We are considering a charity concert; we would generate millions of dollars and a very positive message to aid the Palestinians. Your reaction is most uncharitable. You would silence healing music. Not sure you understand Leonard at all. The venom is remarkable to such good will on Leonard's part."
Robert Kory
RK Management, LLC

I have to apologize, Eskimo, for misunderstanding your reference (I thought you were speaking about my June 19 message, I had almost forgotten that I found that comment by Mr. Kory earlier and shared it with other members). This Israeli theme seems to be full of tension. I'm waiting eagerly for the announcement, but also with some fear. The discussions about the Israel and West Bank concerts once again show why it is so difficult to conclude peace in the area; there are always extremists on both sides for whom nothing is enough.
pietro.

pironi wrote:I have to apologize, Eskimo, for misunderstanding your reference (I thought you were speaking about my June 19 message, I had almost forgotten that I found that comment by Mr. Kory earlier and shared it with other members). This Israeli theme seems to be full of tension. I'm waiting eagerly for the announcement, but also with some fear. The discussions about the Israel and West Bank concerts once again show why it is so difficult to conclude peace in the area; there are always extremists on both sides for whom nothing is enough.
pietro.

....another well-made point, Pietro....all the discusion that has arisen over a possible concert certainly does give those of us outside the region an idea just how difficult it will be to bring peace to the area....no apology is necessary - I am reminded everyday that I am one who often can't forget but I don't remember what....

I'm kinda surprised he did it before Roger Waters .

Anyway, I'm Israeli and I don't have any problem with that. As long as it's safe and there are people over there who appreciate his work, then it's alright for him to play there. I just hope nothing goes wrong over there... you know, him being a jew and all.

Eskimo .........don't destroy your Leonard CD's.
It will be your loss.

Anyway, ........ this is excellent news - a (kind of) deferred realisation of Leonard's stated wish to have been able to have sung to the soldiers on both sides during '73. I just hope it actually happens!

Bhasi is there a reference somewhere of

"Leonard's stated wish to have been able to
have sung to the soldiers on both sides during '73"?

Maybe in Ira Nadel's biography? Somewhere else?

I'd appreciate if you could say more about this.

Dem

In Leonard Cohen's Polish concert in Warsaw, 1985, during the troubles there, he gave this preamble to his rendition of 'If It Be your Will', which he sang with Anjani Thomas.

"...I don't know which side anybody's on anymore, and I don't really care. There is a moment, there is a moment (sic) when
we have to transcend the side we're on, and understand that we are creatures of a higher order.
That doesn't mean that I don't wish you courage in your struggle. There is on both sides of this struggle, men of good
will. That is important to remember; on both sides of this struggle: some struggling for freedom; some struggling for
safety.
In solemn testimony of that unbroken faith which binds the generations one to another, I sing this song, "If it be your
will".'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHAHt2Hv_DI

If the rumours/plans in the above posts in his thread are true, then LC would seem to be in the same place again/still. Performing/hoping to perform on both sides of the green line would be consistent with his past words.

Of course Cohen has Palestinian fans on the West Bank! They don't live on another planet (even if those who think they do, do).

As for his and his band's safety, if world leaders, senior ministers and envoys can visit Ramallah safely; if the East/West Divan Orchestra (half Jewish/Israeli, half arab/palestinian) and its Jewish conductor, Daniel Barenboim, could visit Ramallah safely and perform, so can Leonard Cohen and his musical family.

If the Israeli government is playing silly buggers with them, as they did with Barenboim's orchestra (making it as difficult as possible to play in Ramallah: pleading security reasons etc; not issuing travel visas until the very last day/moment for the orchestra members), then Cohen's management should say,
'No Ramalla concert, no Tel Aviv concert'

I have been silent on this as there are so many passionate views on this situation, but could anyone have said it better than LC - amen. Thank you Clem for posting what he said.

Best regards,
Mary