Is Madonna bringing her 'Sticky & Sweet' tour to Israel?

Negotiations to bring Madonna to Israel for an upcoming concert as part of her "Sticky & Sweet" tour are very close to being successfully concluded, various Israeli news outlets have reported.

The 50-year-old pop superstar has even set a date for the event, according to the reports, which would be on September 1 should the deal be finalized. The concert would be Madonna's first in Israel in 16 years; her last performance was in 1993, when the pop star drew thousands of fans to Tel Aviv's Yarkon Park.

Army Radio has reported that concert's organizers, Israeli producer Shuki Weiss and German producer Marek Lieberberg, are holding talks with the Orange cellular phone company, which they have asked to sponsor the event.

Without a sponsor, tickets will likely cost at least NIS 1000, making the concert not financially feasible.

Madonna has visited Israel twice since the 1993 concert, but only as part of her growing interest in Judaism and Kabbalah, not to perform.

	Madonna arriving for a Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute in New York gala on May 4.
	Photo by: (Reuters)