1964. The Beatles are the biggest stars on earth. And Israel… almost got them. Two Israeli promoters actually signed the Beatles for a Sukkot concert tour. Everything was ready — except for one thing: The Inter-ministerial Committee for Approving Foreign Artists. They met. They read a few newspaper columns. They looked at some photos. And they declared: ❌ Decision 691: Request DENIED. Because the Beatles were a “negative influence on youth.” Ma’ariv called their music “yeah-yeah-yeah wailing capable of killing REAL beetles.” The Education Ministry’s director admitted he’d never heard a single Beatles song — but still warned of “sensual stimulation.” A Hebrew University psychiatrist studied their pictures and diagnosed the band as “a bunch of unfortunate imbeciles.” The committee chairman: “Wallowing in inanity.” On March 16, 1964 — the final ruling: ❌ Decision 709: The Beatles have NO artistic value whatsoever. And that’s how Israel — by pure bureaucracy — managed to ban the most famou...