Music News
McCartney to play Israeli gig amid threats
Thursday 25 September 2008
Tens of thousands of fans will watch the singer's landmark Friendship First Concert in Tel Aviv.
The concert will be the musician's first in the country, after the Beatles were famously banned from playing there 43 years ago amid fears that youngsters would be corrupted.
Radical cleric Omar Bakri Mohammed has urged Sir Paul to cancel the visit out "of respect of the feelings of Muslims in Palestine". But the singer refused to heed calls to stop the show.
The 66-year-old said on his website that he hoped his Tel Aviv concert would "reawaken" the idea of peace.
He said: "The world knows about the conflicts that have been in that region and I like to think that if I go to a place it becomes evident that my message is a peaceful one and I hope that the idea will spread. It often does happen you know - you'll go to a place and it can affect the audience.
"It reawakens the idea - so that is definitely my message and when I am talking to people, that will be my message and I am sure it is a message shared by a lot of the audience too."
He added: "People ask this question through the years. 'Do you think music can change things?' I think it can. I think it's good for people's souls. I think without music it would be a seriously bad world, we would have more problems. Music can help people to just calm them down. I also think it can be very interesting for change."
The concert follows a surprise trip by the musician yesterday to a music school in neighbouring Palestine, as conflicts between the two countries continue. Sir Paul said: "I'd heard about the great work of the school so I was really interested to actually see it for myself.
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