Several people have asked me what I meant by the Paul McCartney “kosher certifcate”.

It is not just that Macca’s visit wll encourage other artists to come and be seen in Israel.

Reports of his concert were found on the front pages of leading newspapers in the UK, America, Australia and probably elsewhere. That is massive positive PR that Israel has not been able to generate during all the rest of the celebrations for its 60 years of independence.

If if that is not good enough, take my wife’s anecdotes. She convinced her multinational company to hold its UK conference one day early, so that she could return in time for the concert. And following the international press coverage of the performance, her colleagues have sent her e-mails of delight as they were able to “take part” in the festivites from around the globe.

In this context, who cares if Macca visited a school in Bethlehem (where he had to avoid local protests)? Who cares if he did not visit Jerusalem? A great concert for Israelis. A superb event for Israel.