JERUSALEM – Madonna joined the Israeli prime minister and his family Friday in the traditional ritual welcoming the Jewish Sabbath

JERUSALEM – Madonna joined the Israeli prime minister and his family Friday in the traditional ritual welcoming the Jewish Sabbath lighting candles and reciting a blessing together with Benjamin Netanyahu's wife Sarah.

A statement from Netanyahu's office says the singer spent two hours at the Netanyahu home on Friday evening.

Madonna meets with Tzipi Livni

Opposition Chairwoman Tzipi Livni met with pop star Madonna for two and a half hours on Monday night, at a restaurant in Tel Aviv.

Livni said the meeting was excellent and that she was very impressed by the singer. She added that Madonna had invited her and her husband to be her personal guests at her Tel Aviv concert.

The Madonna is coming to the Holy Land.

The Material Girl is coming to the Holy Land.

Madonna will play in Tel Aviv on Sept. 1 for the last stop on her Sticky and Sweet world tour. The pop star's website quotes her as saying she's "very excited about returning to Israel for my last and final show."

Madonna isn't Jewish, but she has adopted the Hebrew name of Esther and is a student of Kabbalah, or Jewish mysticism. She made a private pilgrimage to Israel in 2004 to visit grave sites of Jewish sages.

Israelis often gripe that major artists usually skip the Jewish state when they tour. Her upcoming visit was front page news Tuesday.

This will be the pop icon's second gig in Israel. She last performed in the country in 1993.

She began her tour last August in Cardiff, Wales.

Released in April of last year, "Hard Candy" debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200, making it Madonna's seventh album to top the US chart.

http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/madonna-concert-set-for-israel-1003978720.story