McCartney gig prompts death threats

With his aubergine-rinsed hair and eternal desire to stick his thumbs up at cameras, Sir Paul McCartney might have imagined that he could upset no one - except Heather, of course. However, the concert he is staging in Tel Aviv on Thursday evening, billed as Friendship First and aimed at promoting peace and harmony in the Middle East, has enraged Muslim extremists on the one hand and right-wing Israelis on the other.

They are annoyed not by the former Beatle's music - although they should be warned he will be including a fair number of Wings compositions in the set - but by the use of the gig to celebrate Israel's 60th anniversary.

Already there have been specific threats against 'Macca'. Omar Bakri Mohammed, the radical Muslim preacher based in Lebanon after being banned from Britain, said recently that suicide bombers could attack the gig in protest against the singer's patronage of Israel. He declared McCartney to be "the enemy of every Muslim" and added ominously: "If he values his life, Mr McCartney must not come to Israel. He will not be safe there. The sacrifice operatives will be waiting for him."

The perma-grinned Liverpudlian, who arrived in Tel Aviv last night in a private jet accompanied by an entourage of 100 people, including his personal chef, is said to be "shocked but not intimidated" by these threats. He told Israeli reporters: "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."

Also infuriated by McCartney’s presence in the country is Itamar Ben Gvir, a prominent Israeli right-wing activist, who says that he and his followers will do their best to make the gig a failure. "We are going to disrupt McCartney's concert on Thursday. We will spread a public appeal calling people to join us," he said. "We are going to create a balanced formula whereby British people who come here will suffer, just as Israelis suffer in Britain when they are being threatened and condemned by anti-Semitic elements."

Because of this, security will be tight at the concert. Police fear that such a huge crowd could make it a tempting target for attackers who have resorted recently to the use of bulldozers and cars to kill and maim in Israel's busy streets. ·