Eurovision kicking off in Basel with glitz, schmaltz and little love for Israel
Yuval Raphael expected to face boos and protests during competition’s second semifinal Thursday, though organizers have steadfastly resisted calls for Nova survivor’s ouster
Amy Spiro is a reporter and writer with The Times of Israel
Singers from 37 countries are descending on Basel, Switzerland, for the annual Eurovision Song Contest this week, and for the second year running, Israel’s participation is threatening to overshadow the glitzy and campy affair.
Despite the best efforts of anti-Israel activists, the European Broadcasting Union, which organizes the contest, has again this year steadfastly resisted efforts to bar Israel from taking part. The EBU has rejected such calls from a few dozen former participants, a small group of members of the European Parliament, reigning winner Nemo, and the public broadcasters of Eurovision participants Iceland, Spain, Ireland, Belgium and Slovenia.
After months of protests over Israel’s participation, the Irish public broadcaster RTE reported last week that the EBU made a commitment to “have a wider discussion amongst members in due course.” Any such discussion will not affect this year’s contest, which kicks off Tuesday with the first of two semifinals, and is seen as unlikely to lead to Israel being barred.
While the fever pitch of anti-Israel sentiment was higher ahead of the 2024 competition in Malmo, Sweden, large protests are still expected in Basel this week and Israel’s Yuval Raphael is likely to face some booing in the audience when she performs her ballad, “New Day Will Rise,” on Thursday night.
One of 37 acts slated to perform, Raphael is widely expected to be among those who advance to the grand final on Saturday, where 26 entrants will vie for the Eurovision crown.
The singers who advance from the semifinals are determined solely by a public vote, online and via phone, while the winner of the grand final is based 50 percent on a public vote and 50% on scores awarded by professional juries from each of the 37 participating countries.
As of this writing, the oft-cited and sometimes accurate Eurovision betting odds predict a fourth-place finish for Israel, with bookmakers likely expecting a similar groundswell of support among pro-Israel voters to that seen last year, when Eden Golan came second in the general public vote and fifth overall.
Leading the pack this year is Sweden’s KAJ, a trio of Swedish-speaking Finnish singers set to perform the catchy “Bara bada bastu,” a comedic ditty about sauna culture seen as this year’s favorite.
Other strong contenders are Austria’s JJ with the operatic entry “Wasted Love” and France’s Louane with the soaring ballad “Maman.”
Some analysts have predicted that the professional juries could deliberately downgrade or snub Raphael regardless of what they think of her performance, in order to counteract a landslide in the public vote, or to confirm their countrymen’s ambivalence toward Israel. The EBU is unlikely to want the headache and backlash that would come with an Israel win, which would include awarding Israel hosting rights for next year. (When Ukraine won in 2022, the following year’s competition was hosted by the UK).
Raphael — a survivor of Hamas’s Octoner 7, 2023, massacre at the Nova music festival — will take the stage with “New Day Will Rise,” a power ballad that suggests “darkness will fade, all the pain will go by.” Many reviewers have praised Raphael’s vocals and the emotion of the song, though some have thought it too similar to last year’s “Hurricane” and criticized the decision to send another ballad.
“I’m 100 percent focused on the music, I’m 100 percent focused on my song,” Raphael told The Times of Israel in an interview last month. “There are things that I can control and things that I can’t control. Ultimately, there’s no point investing energy in something I can’t control… the most important thing to me is to bring honor to my country and do the best I can.”
Golan last year was largely shunned by her fellow contestants, who either opposed Israel’s participation in the competition or didn’t want to break ranks and associate with the pariah of the competition. Tensions ran high backstage; some artists accused the Israeli delegation of bullying, while Israeli public broadcaster Kan pointed to several instances of disrespect and hatred from other countries.
In an interview last week with the Walla news site, Golan revealed that the boos while on stage were so loud that she could hear them through her noise-canceling headphones, and while it initially felt like a “slap in the face,” she ultimately let it fuel her performance and her desire to win.
A strict new code of conduct for participants rolled out ahead of this year’s show demands all contestants refrain “from political promotion or related conduct, including actions, statements, or symbols during — or in relation to — the event,” and must also “avoid linking political views to their ESC participation.”
The new handbook – which for the first time has been made mandatory for anyone accredited for the event – promises no tolerance for “any kind of harassment, bullying, hate speech and any form of discrimination.”
While Raphael is unlikely to be embraced by every participant, she will have at least one ally in her corner – Azerbaijan’s Mamagama, which is fronted by Asaf Mishiyev, a proud member of the country’s Mountain Jew community.
In an interview with The Times of Israel earlier this year, Mishiyev, as well as his Muslim bandmates, sent “big hugs” to Raphael and criticized the hate leveled against her.
Unlike in years past, audience members at the Eurovision live shows will be able to display Palestinian flags, after Swiss organizers said that any flags legal in the country will be allowed into the arena, instead of only the flags of countries participating in the competition.
It remains to be seen whether the producers will choose to pan to any such flags in the crowd on live TV, in particular during Israel’s performance.
In a preview of the sea of green, white, black and red she may face onstage, Palestinian flags were the most ubiquitous of those being waved along the processional route as Raphael walked the “turquoise carpet” during the opening ceremony in Basel on Sunday, alongside protest banners and some booing.
But the flag rules have been tightened when it comes to the contestants themselves, with the performers allowed to only hold their own country’s flag on stage and during any official events. The move doesn’t only ban Palestinian flags, but also LGBTQ flags, transgender flags and non-binary flags, angering some activists.
Like Golan before her, Raphael will refrain from wearing a hostage pin or expressing any political opinions during official Eurovision events, although in interviews leading up to the competition she has called for all the hostages “to be returned home now.”
Despite the protests, the biggest threat to Israel’s future participation in Eurovision may be Israel itself.
If the government moves ahead with its plan to privatize or shutter Israel’s public broadcaster, Kan would no longer be able to maintain membership in the EBU, bringing the country’s 52-year run in the competition to an end.
The Times of Israel Community.