British comedian and actor John Cleese, known for his roles in the Monty Python themes and the British sitcom “Fawlty Towers”, has canceled his scheduled performances in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
The shows, organized by Alon Yurik Productions, were set to take place between November 26 and December 1, one in Jerusalem and three in Tel Aviv. All tickets had been sold out.
A statement released by Alon Yurik Productions on Monday said, “We deeply regret that John Cleese has succumbed to threats from BDS organizations, 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.”
“On that note, we invite you to an evening with Kevin Spacey, taking place next week at Hangar 11 in Tel Aviv – a phenomenal actor, two-time Oscar winner, known for his deep affection for Israel,” the statement added.
Cleese had previously postponed his visit from June to November due to the war with Iran. In recent days, he has been actively reposting anti-Israel content on his X account, including videos targeting Israel and its leadership.
Among the posts Cleese reposted were a video of actor Mandy Patinkin raging against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and another of actor Mark Ruffalo criticizing his Jewish friends.
Cleese, who performed in Israel several years ago and was not previously known for anti-Israel views, has not commented publicly on the cancellation beyond the production company’s statement.