UK
John Cleese cancels sold-out Israel shows after ‘succumbing to threats from BDS organisations’
The ‘Fawlty Towers’ star had been due to perform a series of shows in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv
November 11, 2025 11:45
The ‘Fawlty Towers’ star had been due to perform a series of shows in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv
November 11, 2025 11:45John Cleese has cancelled scheduled performances in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv after allegedly “succumbing to threats from BDS organisations”
The actor and comedian had been due to perform one show in Jerusalem and three in Tel Aviv from November 26 to December 1.
A statement released by the production company that organised the shows, Alon Yurik Productions, said: “We deeply regret that John Cleese has succumbed to threats from BDS organisations, especially after all tickets to his performances had long been sold out.
“We will continue to give our all to bring the Israeli audience the finest shows and cultural events.”
Cleese has not commented on the cancelled gigs.
The Fawlty Towers actor, who previously postponed performances in Israel scheduled for June due to the country’s 12-day war with Iran, has reposted numerous anti-Israel posts on his X account in recent days.
In one post, the Monty Python alumna wrote "unbelievable" above a tweet he reposted of a fake quote attributed to the former Israeli ambassador to the UK, Tzipi Hotovely. The quote reads: "There could be a million dead Palestinian children and I would still sleep well in the evening."
The embassy has confirmed that Hotovely has never made such a remark.
Cleese also shared a post whereby a user has shared a screenshot of a Jerusalem Post article carrying the headline "Israel is trying to legalise paedophilia", above a tweet by Israel's official X account stating "age is just a number".
And he also shared a video of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the 1980s talking about the Jewish state's "influence over America".
The accompanying post read: "So American institutions will advance Israeli interests over American ones?"
Representatives for Cleese have been contacted for comment.
To get more news, click here to sign up for our free daily newsletter.