Kanye West is Reportedly Trying to Book a Show in Israel

Photo Credit: Kanye West (Ye) by Peter Hutchins / CC by 2.0

Kanye’s “apology tour” continues as the disgraced rapper reportedly tries to book a concert in Israel, despite years of open antisemitism.

This week, rumors have circulated that Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West, is continuing his apparent apology tour after years of antisemitism by trying to book a show in Israel. According to the Hebrew-language outlet Mako, Ye is currently negotiating terms for an appearance in Israel in an attempt to make amends for his hateful rhetoric and behavior.

Understandably, many in the country and the broader music industry have expressed doubt over whether such a performance will come to fruition—especially since several countries have already refused the rapper entry.

Ye hasn’t performed in Israel since late 2015. A few months prior, he had visited the country with his then-wife, Kim Kardashian, when the couple had their daughter baptized in the Armenian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. Kardashian, who is of Armenian descent, reportedly said at the time that holding the baptism in Jerusalem was very important to her.

But after the couple divorced, Ye went on an antisemitic tirade on social media, saying he would go “death con 3” on Jewish people in 2022. During this period, he lost lucrative business deals with Adidas and Balenciaga and became a “cultural and business pariah” across industries.

Just last year, he made a music video for a track called “Heil Hitler,” featuring Nazi imagery, and also sold swastika t-shirts through his online merch store. He even bought ads during the Super Bowl to promote sales of the shirt.

However, Ye claimed to have had a change of heart after meeting with Israeli Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto in November 2025, and expressed remorse for his hateful statements. This year, Ye published an open letter in The Wall Street Journal and apologized for his antisemitism—though he blamed his mental health and a car accident from years ago for his behavior.

Last month, he doubled down on his “commitment to rectifying the situation,” and has attempted to book several shows in the UK and Europe to promote his new album. But many still doubt the sincerity of West’s apology, especially in light of his new music, which provides him with obvious motivation for attempting a so-called comeback or apology tour.

Insiders in Israel said they doubted a show by the artist could or should take place in the country. Producer Gadi Oron said that he received an offer to bring the rapper to Israel two months ago, but turned it down due to time constraints.

“Kanye West really wants to come to Israel, because he has been rejected by several countries in Europe, where the market is strongest, and they are having difficulty completing the European tour,” said Oron. “I received the specifications for the show and the conditions. It turns out that it is a 360 show. Such a show can only be presented at the Ramat Gan Stadium.”

The stadium in question would not be available when Ye wanted to play there, but there were also other logistical issues that made the concert impossible, according to Oron.

Meanwhile, Shaul Mizrahi, owner of the Barbie Club in Tel Aviv, said that bringing Ye to Israel was in bad taste, and he would call for a boycott of “any producer who dares to bring him to Israel.”