From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, April 30, 2024
Eurovision hopeful Golan arrives in Malmo with mission to ‘show world Israel is here’
Amy Spiro is a reporter and writer with The Times of Israel
Eden Golan and the rest of Israel’s Eurovision delegation have arrived in Malmo, Sweden, to begin preparations and rehearsals for the upcoming song contest.
“I’m on my way to represent my country on the biggest music stage in the world,” Golan says just before departing, in a statement from the Kan public broadcaster, which organizes Israel’s participation.
“This year more than ever we have an important job to show the world that Israel is here and we’re not going anywhere,” she adds. “I feel pride and a sense of responsibility and I want to thank everyone for the months of love, backing and support, which remind me every day who I am representing.”
Amid high security due to threats against Golan and the Israeli delegation, the crew flew on a special El Al flight direct from Tel Aviv to Malmo, which arrived early this morning. Activists have been calling for months to bar Israel from the contest over its ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza, and many large demonstrations against Israel are planned in Malmo during the competition, which begins next week.
Police in Sweden announce that they will use drone-mounted cameras to monitor the Malmo region and the area around Malmo Arena from May 4 to May 13 as part of upped security efforts for the song contest.
Golan’s first rehearsal on the Eurovision stage in Malmo with her song, “Hurricane,” is slated for this afternoon. Israel is currently ranked in 7th place in the odds betting charts out of 37 competing countries. She will compete in the second semi-final on May 9.
