Despite poisoning and boycott, Leonard Cohen performs in Israel

Leonard Cohen performed Thursday night in Israel for the first time in over two decades despite an intense pro-Palestinian campaign to stop the performance. The Canadian singer songwriter's path to Israel has been rocky. First pro-Palestinian groups promoting an international boycott of Israel publicly called on Cohen to cancel his plans to perform in Israel. Cohen, a Jew who sees himself as supportive of Israeli and Palestinian coexistence, responded by offering to perform in Ramallah. But when Palestinian groups protested, the Ramallah venue caved in and cancelled the gig. Amnesty International then agreed to help Cohen distribute the concert's expected $1.5 - $2 million profits to various Palestinian and Israeli civil society organizations. But when it was revealed that Cohen's concert had been sponsored by Israel's Discount Bank, which many Palestinians see as a symbol of Jewish settlement in Palestinian territories, a campaign was launched against Amnesty International and the group withdrew its support of the Cohen concert.