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A Britney Concert in Tel Aviv—Her First—Is Pushing Back an Israeli Election

The Labor Party primaries have been postponed for a day because of traffic concerns and a lack of available security guards

by
Miranda Cooper
April 06, 2017
Kevin Winter/Getty Images for iHeartMedia
Britney Spears performs onstage during 102.7 KIIS FM's Jingle Ball 2016 presented by Capital One at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, December 2, 2016.Kevin Winter/Getty Images for iHeartMedia
Kevin Winter/Getty Images for iHeartMedia
Britney Spears performs onstage during 102.7 KIIS FM's Jingle Ball 2016 presented by Capital One at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, December 2, 2016.Kevin Winter/Getty Images for iHeartMedia

When you think of Israeli politics, you probably don’t think of Britney Spears. That is, until now.

The legendary American pop star has made headlines because she is scheduled to give a concert in Tel Aviv on the same day as Israel’s Labor Party’s primary election, which has now been forced back a day—to July 4. Oops.

Apparently, the Britney concert at Hayarkon Park, which will be the singer’s first performance in Israel, is expected to require a lot of security and ushers, thus inadvertently impinging on the Labor Party’s ability to acquire sufficient personnel for their own electoral event. A party spokesperson also expressed concerns that concert traffic would make it difficult for voters to access polling locations. Oops.

Brit herself once hopped on the Kabbalah wagon, once had an ill-advised and ill-executed Hebrew tattoo (she got it removed), and was once seen wearing a Star of David. She may not be on the ballot, but she has already won this scheduling contest–and challengers do have until the end of this month to submit their candidacy.

The primary contest, according to TheTimes of Israel, will feature at least seven challengers to MK Isaac Herzog, the current leader of the Labor Party, Israel’s center-left opposition party, which has not won an election in 18 years. Herzog’s opponents in the July primary will include candidates from a number of different spheres, some of whom are political veterans and others who are not. In order to win the primary, a candidate must secure at least 40 percent of the vote. If no candidate receives a plurality of at least 40 percent of the vote, a runoff election will be held on July 13.

Maybe Britney will stick around.

Miranda Cooper is an editorial intern at Tablet. Follow her on Twitter here.