If viewer votes had determined the outcome of the European Championship, 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 European Championship 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 European Championship 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.
