Madonna calls for world peace

POP diva Madonna yesterday called for world peace at a conference on Jewish mysticism - a highlight of her five-day pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

Israel hopes the star - the biggest pop celebrity to visit in years - will revive tourism battered by four years of violence, and government officials were on hand at a Tel Aviv hotel to share the spotlight, the glory and the photographs.

Madonna, wearing a low-cut dress with a black and white leopard pattern, said she was hesitant to come to Israel “after seeing so many news reports about terror attacks” and reading State Department’s travel warnings.