Leonard Cohen's Israel concert sells out in a day / AI an accomplice

Tickets for a Leonard Cohen concert to benefit Palestinian and Israeli peace groups sold out in less than a day, an Israeli ticket agent said Sunday.

The 47,000 tickets for the Sept. 24 concert at a stadium near Tel Aviv went on sale at 8:30 Saturday evening, and by Sunday afternoon they were all gone, ticket agent Avi Messing told Israel's Channel 2 TV.

"All of Israel is coming to watch Leonard Cohen. It's really great," Messing said.

Prices ranged from $90 to $315.

Cohen entertained Israeli troops during the 1973 Mideast war and last performed in Israel in 1975.

Adding Israel to his current world tour brought complaints from Palestinian sympathizers, and British fans posted a plea on the social networking site Facebook asking him to cancel the date in response to Israel's military campaign in the Gaza Strip in December and January.
Cont > http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090803/ap_en_mu/ml_people_leonard_cohen

In an open letter to Amnesty International, the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) states: "In May, PACBI called on singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen to heed the Palestinian call for a cultural boycott of Israel and avoid complicity with Israel’s violations of international law by cancelling his planned September concert in Israel, particularly in view of Israel’s war crimes in Gaza earlier this year. Sadly, Amnesty International USA has agreed to cooperate with Cohen in dealing with Israel on the basis of business as usual.

"Amnesty International USA will serve as sponsor of a new fund that will whitewash the money raised at Cohen’s concert in Israel by using it to finance programs for 'peace.' Being one of the world’s strongest proponents of human rights and international law, you shall thus be subverting a non-violent, effective effort by Palestinian and international civil society to end Israel's violations of international law and human rights principles. We call on you to be true to your values and immediately withdraw support for Leonard Cohen’s ill-conceived concert in Israel." Read More

"What would you do if someone came to your door with a cup in hand asking for a contribution to help buy guns to kill a group of people they didn't like?" ~ Willy Nelson, (27 March 1909 – 23 May 2002), American civil rights activist and tax resister.

"If a thousand men [and women] were not to pay their tax-bills this year, that would not be a violent and bloody measure, as it would to pay them and enable the State to commit violence and shed innocent blood." ~ Henry David Thoreau