Subscribe to Print Edition | Wed., January 30, 2008 Shvat 23, 5768 | | Israel Time: 13:36 (EST+7)
Haaretz israel news English
web haaretz.com
  Back to Homepage
Rosner's Domain
Diplomacy
Defense Jewish World Opinion National
Print Edition
Advertising
Books Arts & Leisure Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File
The Beatles performing in the mid-1960s (File).
Last update - 03:25 29/01/2008
With eye to 60th celebrations, Israel makes amends for 1965 Beatles ban
By Haaretz Service and News Agencies
Tags: Beatles, Ringo Starr 

More than four decades after Israeli officials banned the Beatles from appearing at a scheduled 1965 concert, Israel on Monday extended an olive branch to the band, with an eye to having the two surviving members - Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr - perform at the 60th anniversary of the state's creation in May.

Army Radio reported that Israeli Ambassador to Britain Ron Prosor visited the band's hometown of Liverpool on Monday, where he met with John Lennon's sister Julia Bairdat at the Beatles museum.

Letters of reconciliation are to be sent to McCartney and Starr as well as relatives of late band member George Harrison, the radio said.
Advertisement
The Israeli embassy in London on Monday night told Haaretz that the letters represented an opportunity for "a second chance."

The Beatles had been booked to appear in Israel in 1965, but government
officials refused to grant the necessary permits, citing concerns that the tousled-haired British band and its strident, amplified music could corrupt the morals of Israeli youth.

The never-used tickets for the concert have long been a prized souvenir among Israeli fans of the group.

In Jerusalem, Foreign Ministry spokesman Arye Mekel confirmed that Prosor was to meet Baird and invite her to Israel for the gala marking Israel's
founding in May, 1948. But he said he had no knowledge of any letter or of invitations to Paul and Ringo to perform.

Related articles:
  • Toward the next 60 years
  • Bush Sr., Clinton to head U.S. panel on plans for Israel's 60th anniversary
  • Itzik to Israel's enemies: Trade your Qassams for computers
  • Independence Day Supplements
    • Bookmark to del.icio.us  
     
    Pride of Shas
    Shas MK: Gays are causing Israeli society to self-destruct.
    In bad taste
    Local Jewish group protests 'Holocaust float' at Rio Carnival.
      1.   Ron Prosor 13:21  |  SimonB 28/01/08
      2.   Standbys 13:52  |  Dani Reiss 28/01/08
      3.   Like most good brits, they`ll most likely boycott Israel 14:39  |  POP 28/01/08
      4.   Free Palestine 14:41  |  Sean Hebbit 28/01/08
      5.   #4 and his 60 years 14:55  |  Hastaroth 28/01/08
      6.   Rip van Winkle strikes again 15:05  |  Jekyll Hyde 28/01/08
      7.   separated at birth 15:06  |  David S 28/01/08
      8.   Finally, The Beatles after all these years 15:15  |  maurice 28/01/08
      9.   They can sing "Free as a bird" at the Apartheid Wall 17:01  |  Sarah Gerber 28/01/08
      10.   who cares 17:37  |  tony 28/01/08
      11.   John Lennon would turn in his grave if he had one 17:41  |  L A 28/01/08
      12.   To Sarah and "LA" 18:26  |  Irving Wiesen 28/01/08
      13.   Like the few smart Brits, they`ll be classy 18:40  |  Dan 28/01/08
      14.   Concert Ban - Individual official responsibility . 18:56  |  Dangalil 28/01/08
      15.   beatles have more sense (hopefully) 19:32  |  gearoid 28/01/08
      16.   Apologizing Is Okay But... 21:17  |  Yosemite 28/01/08
      17.   why no apology to Palestians killed and dispossed? 21:35  |  Jeremy Martin 28/01/08
      18.   This has nothing to do with Palestinians 22:47  |  Dan 28/01/08
      19.   To # 12 22:49  |  L A 28/01/08
      20.   # 3 22:57  |  a frog from 28/01/08
      21.   Sarah gerber`s devine ignorance #9 22:58  |  fOX 28/01/08
      22.   To LA - again 23:22  |  Irving Wiesen 28/01/08
      23.   #17 jeremy and the 60 year reality gap 23:37  |  v hardman 28/01/08
      24.   Dan, it has nothing to do with Israelis either 23:39  |  sh 28/01/08
      25.   Big news! 00:07  |  John Bull 29/01/08
      26.   No 17. Why no aplogy for the Jewish refugees? 00:18  |  Albert 29/01/08
      27.   Sean Hebbit # 4 02:01  |  ChanahS 29/01/08
      28.   LA and Yoko 02:02  |  ChanahS 29/01/08
      29.   LA - giving peace a chance 02:04  |  ChanahS 29/01/08
      30.   J & the MD # 27 02:08  |  ChanahS 29/01/08
      31.   israel,you don`t need to apologize to the beatles... 02:11  |  maria 29/01/08
      32.   TO #9 02:13  |  Dan 29/01/08
      33.   sean hebbit.....what palestine are you talking about? 02:13  |  maria 29/01/08
      34.   jeremy martin...apologize to palestinians... 02:17  |  maria 29/01/08
      35.   apologize to ex-Beatles 02:22  |  Joe Hill 29/01/08
      36.   a bit desperate, isn`t it ? 02:25  |  whoopsie 29/01/08
      37.   #27 J&M 02:32  |  Polybios 29/01/08
      38.   Johnny can coprophagate and go to hell 02:36  |  Dan 29/01/08
      39.   Isn`t in interesting... 03:22  |  James 29/01/08
      40.   Just wait until May ! 04:22  |  David James Vickery 29/01/08
      41.   irving wiesen 12 04:40  |  Nerys 29/01/08
      42.   Hairy tale 04:40  |  jjvanka 29/01/08
      43.   Zeitgeschichte .. and a question 04:49  |  The Northern Wind 29/01/08
      44.   David James Vickery #40: Don`t omit your arab name Dhoud. 06:29  |  Vittorio 29/01/08
      45.   Why apologize? 07:07  |  izak 29/01/08
      46.   why apologize 07:50  |  Ben 29/01/08
      47.   # 2 POP;You pupped LOAD agri-manure (BS), now a correction... 08:29  |  Max Zinger P.Chimist 29/01/08
      48.   #4 - I don`t know, Sean 08:38  |  JES 29/01/08
      49.   #3 POP; You don`t know nor understand Brits 09:13  |  Haham me Bat Yam 29/01/08
      50.   No shame 09:26  |  Free The Lands 29/01/08
      51.   #11 la and ideals mcartney was the only member of the group 09:29  |  v hardman 29/01/08
      52.   Beatles should sing something about Palestinians 10:39  |  Yaakov Sullivan 29/01/08
      53.   Rais Arafat adored Beatles ( and Suha too) 10:42  |  Yaakov Sullivan 29/01/08
      54.   YAKUB SULLIMAN #53 11:06  |  Dangalil 29/01/08
      55.   #53 Sullivan - EVERYONE loved the Beatles 11:06  |  Slibovitz 29/01/08
      56.   #36 Whoopsie - Dana International is still hot 11:09  |  Slibovitz 29/01/08
      57.   Most likely they will boycott IL as so many British do 11:23  |  Aaron 29/01/08
      58.   VICKERY"Just wait" Your brothers have been saying that for 60 yrs 11:31  |  PETER SM 29/01/08
      59.   "Reconciliation." 11:37  |  Maureen Ann 29/01/08
      60.   J MARTIN Why no aplogy for war by 5 Arab armies on 600000 people 11:38  |  PETER SM 29/01/08
      61.   S.GERBER The FENCE was not there before suicide bombers came 11:45  |  PETER SM 29/01/08
      62.   Ringo and Paul don`t play together anywhere.... 11:50  |  Deborah 29/01/08
      63.   #61 The FENCE was not there before the Zionist came 11:59  |  "Whats in a name" 29/01/08
      64.   the Beatles 17:51  |  harleyblues 29/01/08
      65.   say "Whats in the name" 18:10  |  count Pototzki 29/01/08
      66.   To Yaakov - 52 - A Beatles Song for the Pals 21:30  |  I 29/01/08
      67.   Why Should Beatles Support A Hate Filled Country Like Israel?? 21:55  |  Beatles Lover 29/01/08
      68.   #65 I`m a Jew but not a Zionist 22:46  |  "Whats in a name" 29/01/08
      69.   Yoko has Visited Israel 22:46  |  ARTH 29/01/08
      70.   arabs love the beatles 23:09  |  mohamed 29/01/08
      71.   to all israel bashers 12:07  |  danny 30/01/08
      72.   jeremy martin 12:13  |  danny