Sir Paul McCartney has insisted his first show in Israel will go ahead, despite pressure from campaigners who want him to cancel it.
The 65-year-old will perform some of his biggest Beatles and solo hits at the Tel Aviv gig later this month.
But protesters asked him to reconsider over Israel's occupation of the West Bank and its Gaza Strip blockade.
He told newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth: "I refused. I do what I think, and I have many friends who support Israel."
The Israeli government pulled a Beatles concert in 1965 on the grounds it could corrupt the nation's youth.
When asked how the band members felt about the decision, he said it was "a bit insulting".
He added: "The Beatles had a pretty positive influence on the world and only regimes that wanted to control their peoples were afraid of us.
The 65-year-old will perform some of his biggest Beatles and solo hits at the Tel Aviv gig later this month.
But protesters asked him to reconsider over Israel's occupation of the West Bank and its Gaza Strip blockade.
He told newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth: "I refused. I do what I think, and I have many friends who support Israel."
The Israeli government pulled a Beatles concert in 1965 on the grounds it could corrupt the nation's youth.
When asked how the band members felt about the decision, he said it was "a bit insulting".
He added: "The Beatles had a pretty positive influence on the world and only regimes that wanted to control their peoples were afraid of us.
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