Rolling Stones visit Jerusalem's Western Wall before first ever Israel concert

The Rolling Stones were taking the stage in Tel Aviv on Wednesday, and were extremely excited to perform in Israel for the very first time.

Ahead of the milestone show they decided to travel to Jerusalem where they visited the Western Wall.

While Keith Richards skipped the outing, Mick Jagger, Ronnie Wood and Charlie Watts were all photographed at the holy spot, also known as the Kotel or Wailing Wall.

Mick, 70, was paying his respects at the sacred site, and was spotted placing a hand on the Wall after following the lead of two men in kippah.

Ronnie, who turned 67 on Sunday, was joined by his wife Sally Humphreys, while Charlie, who celebrated his 73rd birthday on Monday, brought up the rear.

Later that day the band started their concert at Hayarkon Park 45 minutes late, according to Washington Post, in order to give those celebrating the Jewish holiday Shavuot extra time to get there.

The Stones, who are currently taking part in their 14 On Fire world tour, performed some of their best-loved classic hits during the evening.

However fellow rockers Pink Floyd had pleaded with them to cancel their Israel concert.Nick Mason and Roger Waters of the band wrote a letter on Slate last month which read: ‘So, to the bands that intend to play Israel in 2014, we urge you to reconsider.

‘Playing Israel now is the moral equivalent of playing Sun City at the height of South African apartheid; regardless of your intentions, crossing the picket line provides propaganda that the Israeli government will use in its attempts to whitewash the policies of its unjust and racist regime.’

Justin Timberlake performed in Tel Aviv last week, and he too made the trip to Jerusalem to visit the Western Wall.

But the star managed to cause a minor controversy after he posted a photo of himself with his palms against the wall with the caption: ‘The Holy Land... What an experience. I will never forget this day.’

While the picture has so far garnered over 264,000 likes, his hashtag '#Israel' upset many of his fans.

'Correction,' one outraged follower commented. 'You are in Palestine not israel #disappointed.'

While another angered follower responded: 'There was never an Israel, there was always Palestine.'

A potential fan, writing under the handle abourezk, also chastised the star: 'Clearly you are not in the class of performers like Sting, Stevie Wonder, Elvis Costello and the great Carlos Santana who know what apartheid is and who are not afraid to stand against it in support of the Palestinian people.'

Adding: 'It's a real shame because at one point I thought you could be an entertainer with a conscience! What a pity!'

But a supporter of Justin, with the Instagram handle orjacobi, took issue with the comments and responded: '@abourezk so you're blind. I want you to come for one day to Israel and notice who are the good and who are the bad in this situation .. It's so easy to talk when you actually don't really know what's going on.'

The site is considered a holy place by Muslims, Jews, and Christians, with Pope Francis visiting the Western Wall the day before Justin's visit.

In February the Palestinian Authority's Religious Affairs Minister Mahmoud al-Habash said there would be no peace agreement with Israel without sovereignty over the Western Wall.

'There will not be peace without Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine. There will not be peace without an end to the Israeli occupation that began in 1967. Every piece of land that Israel occupied in 1967 is Palestinian land that belongs to the state of Palestine,' he said.

He added of Jews wishing to pray at the holy site: 'Welcome. Welcome. Without any problem, welcome. There will not be any limitations on freedom of worship. Worship is one thing, and politics are another.'