The concert was to take place on the same date, October 7, as the Hamas attack on Israel in 2023, which led to the war in Gaza, and many activist organizations have demanded that it be cancelled.
The British singer, whose wife is Jewish, performed in Israel in 2015 and 2023, despite calls from pro-Palestinian activists to boycott the country.
"I am terribly sorry that I will not be able to perform in Istanbul next week. The authorities have cancelled the concert due to consideration for public safety", writes Williams on Instagram, but emphasizes that safety comes first:
"The last thing I would ever want to do is compromise my fans' safety – their safety comes first."
