MADONNA was escorted by police on a sightseeing tour of Israel on Sunday (30Aug09), days before playing the final concert of her Sticky & Sweet world tour.
The singer, who is devoted to Kabbalah – a mystical offshoot of Judaism – was led through Jerusalem’s Old City where she visited an ancient tunnel near the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray.
She reportedly stayed there for 30 minutes.
The 51-year-old pop star arrived in the city early on Sunday for a pair of concerts this week, her first in Israel since 1993.
The visit comes just days after tour dates in Bulgaria and Poland were marred with controversy – after local church leaders accused the concerts of showing disrespect to Christianity.
However, Jewish and Hindu leaders in her native America stepped up in her defence late last week, applauding the singer’s protest of the treatment of gypsies in Romania, after she urged the 60,000-strong crowd to fight prejudice against travellers.
Madonna is set to wrap her world tour in Tel Aviv on 1 September (09).