McCartney's Israeli Concert to Go On

Paul McCartney said he would still perform a concert in Israel this month despite pressure from various political groups to cancel his performance, he said in a statement released Thursday.

"I was approached by different groups and political bodies who asked me not to come here. I refused. I do what I think, and I have many friends who support Israel," McCartney said in an interview with Israel's Yedioth Ahronoth.

Pro-Palestinian groups that denounce the Israeli occupation of the West Bank have often called for international boycotts of Israel. Jewish groups decry these calls for boycotts as anti-Semitic.

McCartney is on a concert tour that includes various cities he has not performed in. The Beatles were set to perform in Israel during the 1960s but the concert was canceled for uncertain reasons, and the band never rescheduled.

McCartney's set will include hits from his Beatles days, as well as his solo material. He will perform in Israel on Sept. 25.

McCartney took to his Web site last month to announce the performance, as well as his excitement to perform in Israel.

"I've heard so many great things about Tel Aviv and Israel, but hearing is one thing and experiencing it for yourself is another," he said.