Criticized by other Eurovision teams, Israel claims it was the abused delegation

After some Eurovision contestants complained about Israel’s behavior at the recent song contest, the Israeli delegation to the event said it was the one that faced animosity from fellow participants.

“This year, the Israeli delegation faced immense pressure and an unprecedented display of hatred, notably from other delegations and artists, publicly and collectively, solely because of the simple fact that we are Israelis and that we were there,” the Israeli public broadcaster Kan, which coordinates the country’s participation in the contest, said in a statement to the BBC.

May 11’s competition final was heavily overshadowed by threats and protests against Israel’s participation due to the ongoing war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Israel’s representative, Eden Golan, was booed during her performances in the competition, and protests were held against her participation.

“However, throughout the journey, the delegation maintained a dignified and respectful approach towards artists and other delegations, striving to foster unity around music while adhering to the competition’s rules, unlike some other delegations,” the Kan statement, issued Thursday, said.

“Despite the impossible challenges, Eden Golan handled the task admirably, earning respect, and the received points from the European audience speaks for itself,” the statement continued.

Golan finished in fifth place overall in the contest and received the second most points from the audience vote.

While the live broadcast, seen annually by more than 150 million people around the world, went off smoothly, there were large protests against Israel outside the arena in Malmo, Sweden, and small mostly under-the-radar protests inside the stadium.

After the contest ended last week, organizers said some delegations “didn’t respect the spirit of the rules” at the event but did not mention any countries by name.

Golan and the Israeli delegation were repeatedly subjected to hostility from other participants, some of whom accused them of breaking the rules.

Ireland’s representative Bambie Thug complained that commentators on Kan called on viewers to wish curses upon them when they performed — apparently in a reference to the Irish song’s theme — and other participants accused the Israeli team of filming them without their consent.

Bambie Thug said they cried when Golan advanced to the contest’s final round, and Greek representative Marina Satti was seen yawning and falling asleep when Golan spoke at a press conference.

Another incident saw Golan being told she did not have to answer a question on whether her presence at the contest created danger, leading Dutch singer Joost Klein, who was later disqualified, to ask “Why not?”

The design of Portuguese participant Iolanda’s nails was inspired by the Palestinian keffiyeh, a symbol of Palestinian nationalism.