Turkish actor-singer holds concert in Israeli capital

Famous Turkish actor and singer Özcan Deniz on Saturday gave a concert in Israel, attracting more than ten thousand fans.

The concert was held at Menora Mictachim Arena in capital Tel Aviv and tickets, whose prices started from $300, were sold out days before.

According to Israeli officials, the performance by the Turkish singer, who has recently received a stunning popularity over his starring role in soap opera Istanbullu Gelin (The Bride of Istanbul), was enjoyed by nearly 11,000 people.

Deniz's screen-wife Aslı Enver also joined the performance to cheer their Israeli fans.

Istanbullu Gelin narrates a love story. Faruk, played by Deniz, is a rich businessman who lives in Bursa, a city near Istanbul. He falls in love with Sureyya, played by Enver, who has grown up without a parent. They get married and Faruk brings her to Bursa.

Her arrival angers a dominant mother-in-law who opposes the wedlock because Surreya is a violinist and an Istanbul resident.

The concert had been announced months ago but pro-Palestinian Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement raised concern and called on the stars of the series to reject the performance.

"We call on you to be the voice of Palestinians and oppositional Jews, to avoid assisting Israel in its efforts to whitewash itself, to refuse permission for the broadcast of 'The Bride of Istanbul' in Israel and to reject your invitation to appear in Tel Aviv," BDS movement said in an open letter.

Turkish TV series have recently drawn great interest in Israel. Among them, Istanbullu Gelin is the most popular, Israeli media reported late March.

"The Bride of Istanbul is much more than a TV soap opera. Many Israelis have already traveled to the show's set in the desperate hope of obtaining a selfie with the actors of the series," Ariana Melamed wrote in her article titled "The Turks Are Back, and They've Got All of Israel Addicted" for Israeli daily Haaretz.