Experts Explore Israel's Surprising Public Vote Win in Eurovision

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Experts Explore Israel's Surprising Public Vote Win in Eurovision
Photo: Jessica Gow/TT

Israel's participation in the Eurovision has been criticized from several quarters due to the country's warfare in Gaza – but despite this, Israel won the public vote. Two experts explain why in Swedish Yle.

If viewer votes had determined the outcome of the Eurovisiin, Israel would have won – a message that astonishes many after the humanitarian crisis prevailing in Gaza. The Swedish audience gave Israel the most votes, and thereby twelve points.

It is a mystery and a question that will require more research, says Janne Mäkelä, visiting researcher at the University of the Arts and docent in popular cultural history to Yle.

Three reasons

He points out three possible reasons for the popularity: that Israel friends have organized themselves as a counterweight to Palestine activism, that classic ballads usually do well in the competition, and artist Yuval Raphael's personal story as a survivor of Hamas' attack on an Israeli music festival on October 7, 2023.

It was propaganda from Israel's side to frame the song in a survival story that is linked to the war between Israel and Palestine. In that way, one pushed aside the current situation prevailing there right now.

Eva Frantz, who is a Eurovision commentator on Svenska Yle, believes that a massive campaign on social media has contributed to the engagement.

The artist Yuval Raphael recorded greetings to the audience in all possible languages. In them, she encouraged people to vote 20 times for Israel, she says to Yle.

The country's Eurovision videos also appear as ads on Youtube, bought by the Israeli Government Advertising Agency (IGAA).

Eva Frantz also highlights that the Israeli beauty company Moroccan Oil, has been the main sponsor for the European Championship since 2019 and expects a debate on whether the sponsorship support affects the possibility of exclusion of the country.

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By TTEnglish edition by Sweden Herald, adapted for local and international readers

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