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Israel: “Fill your mouth with ice cubes and shut up” says Yizhar Cohen to Icelanders!

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Yizhar Cohen, the first Israeli winner of Eurovision, responds harshly to Icelanders who have previously called for Israel’s exclusion from Eurovision 2024 through protests and petitions to the Icelandic broadcaster.

So far, no EBU member has called for Israel’s exclusion from the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest, with Israel proceeding with its usual preparations to select the artist who will represent the country in Malmö in May. However, Israel’s participation in the competition remains a hot topic in Iceland.

We previously informed you of a protest by pro-Palestinian organizations in front of the headquarters of the Icelandic national television RÚV, in which protesters demand that the EBU excludes Israel from Eurovision 2024. They even gathered 9,500 signatures calling on RUV to leave Iceland in protest if Israel finally participates. Also, the association of composers and lyricists of the country, in an official announcement, calls on RUV to boycott Eurovision 2024 due to the Israeli participation.

The first Israeli winner in the Eurovision Song Contest, Yizhar Cohen, was asked to give his opinion on the protesters in Iceland. Yizhar Cohen was the winner of the 1978 Eurovision Song Contest with the now-classic “A Ba Ni Bi“, and his career has been on the rise ever since.

Invited to Channel 13, Cohen responded to Icelanders who express disapproval of Israel’s participation in a very firm manner by speaking in English so that he could be understood by all:

My dear fellow anti-Semitic “ice friends”. We know that you hate…sorry, that you dislike us. When the Eurovision took place in Tel Aviv, your group was hanging out with extremists Palestinians and supported terror against us. You know you are fighting for human rights for everybody in the globe, except for the human rights of Israelis and human rights of Jews, and that’s why you are anti-Semitic. So now you want to boycott us in Eurovision 2024. You are fed by so many lies and pro-Palestinian propaganda and you know completely nothing about us. You just shout, shout and shout. So I have an idea for you – maybe instead of bringing your political views in Eurovision, just bring a great song and win the contest? That’s the way that we’ll remember you. If not, you can continue keep barking as much as you want. I have a secret for you – we will stay here for another 50 thousand years, if you like it or not.

You have a lot of ice in Iceland, right? So, fill your mouths with ice cubes and shut up!

How do you judge the words of Izhar Cohen? Tell us in the comments below! Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all news!

Source: Euromix

Greece: ERT answers to fans who demand Israel’s exclusion from Eurovision!

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A few days ago, an introductory video was published in the Contest’s social media, in which the Greek representative, Marina Satti, introduces herself to the fans of Eurovision.

Marina Satti introduced herself to “the people of Eurovision” and she states that she can’t wait to go to Malmö in Sweden in May, in order to present the Greek music, culture, dances and energy, and she wishes to see everyone there!

 

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However in the comment section of the video, as well as in many recent posts in Eurovision’s social media, there are many comments that disapprove Israel’s participation in this year’s contest. In the same time, they ask Marina Satti and ERT, the Greek broadcaster, to demand Israel’s exclusion, and in case this doesn’t happen they want Greece itself, to withdraw from the contest.

Greece is not the only country to receive this kind of messages. The public broadcasters of Iceland, Ireland as well as that of Finland, have all received a great amount of messages, demanding each country’s withdrawal from the contest, in case Israel competes.

According to news247.gr, ERT answered to all these accusations, saying that the topic of a possible Greek withdrawal from the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, has not been present in any conversation in the channel!

In detail, Dora Chiraki the Director of Corporate Communication of ERT, stated:

“As of now, no official request have been made on Israel’s exclusion by EBU, by any of the competing countries, as was the case with Russia, for example. There is nothing official. If there is something in the future, then we will discuss it.”

Do you think that Greece will withdraw from Eurovision 2024? Write us in the comments below!

 Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the Greek participation at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, in Malmö!

Source: news247.gr

Israel: Everything that happened in the seventh HaKokhav Haba episode!

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The seventh episode of HaKokhav Haba (special edition), the talent show through which Israel‘s representative for Eurovision 2024 will be selected, aired on Monday, December 18!

Four more artists qualified for the next phase of HaKokhav Haba.

In episode seven, five auditions aired and four more artists went through to the next round. Assi Azar and Rotem Sela, who have been hosting HaKokhav Haba since 2014, are the show’s presenters. The jury is made up of Eden Hasson, Shiri Maimon, Itay Levy, Assaf Amdorsky, Ran Dankar, and Keren Pels.

In total, 24 artists have qualified for the second phase of the contest, with one of them ending up as the Israeli representative in Eurovision Song Contest 2024.

Mika Curtis

Mika is 17 years old, and even though her parents did not concent, she took part in HaKokhav Haba, aiming for the win and the stage of Eurovision.  She offered an excellent performance with great pronunciation and feeling. With the vote of almost all the judges, Mika manages to get the 87% of the votes and qualifies for the next phase.

Israel Levy

Israel is 22 years old with many years in music studies. Despite his great voice, the judges weren’t sure if he was the most capable for Eurovision. With a percentage of 78%, he qualifies for the next phase of the show.

Eitan Giorno

Eitan immigrated from France in 2015. He didn’t have an easy childhood as he faced many antisemetic behaviours. With judges being excited about his performance and telling him that he is one of the favourites to win this season, he qualifies with a percentage of 90%.

Romi Netz

Romi is 16 years old and is of a musical family. Despite her young age she is very confident on stage, however, the judges are doubting that she is ready to stand on the stage of Eurovision. With a percentage of 78%, she qualifies for to the next phase.

In the upcoming episode—the airdate of which is still unknown— additional auditions will be broadcasted. Israel qualified for the finals every year from 2015 to 2020 through HaKokhav HaBa, and Netta won the Eurovision Song Contest in 2018 with the song “Toy”.

Israel was represented this year by Noa Kirel and the song “Unicorn”, which came in third place with 362 points overall.

Stay tuned on EurovisionFun to stay up to date on all the latest news about the world’s largest music competition!

Source: euromix.co.il

Ιreland: RTÉ is asked to boycott Eurovision 2024 because of Israel’s involvement!

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Following the reveal of the participants’ list in Eurovision 2024, several backlash was made regarding Israel’s participation regardless the ongoing war. Along with the petition on Association of Composers and Lyricists of Iceland asking RUV to boycott the contest, RTÉ, the Irish national broadcaster, has also received a petition to withdraw from the contest too.

In fact, RTÉ has received approximately 465 emails calling to “immediately withdraw support and participation in the contest next year, if Israel is permitted to compete”.

According to this petition, in case Ireland participates in the contest alongside with Israel, it means that the nation supports the atrocities currently being carried out by Israel in Palestine.

Moreover, the protestors also state that Israel’s participation is a tool used by the country’s government in order to portray itself as a modern, liberal, forward-thinking state, despite the years of occupation and violence against Palestine.

It is also noted that the protestors are aware that Ireland’s boycott will not bring the end of the atrocities but it will serve as a symbol of solidarity with the Palestinian people, calling the nation to use its voice as to condemn the actions of the Israeli government. Thus, it is similar to the message of solidarity sent by Europe to Ukraine in 2022 during the Russian-Ukrainian war.

The petition of the Association of Composers and Lyricists of Iceland to RÚV

A few days ago the Association of Composers and Lyricists of Iceland opposed the country’s participation in Eurovision 2024 unless Israel is disqualified. Via their petition they stated the following:

The board of FTT, an association of composers and lyricists, calls on RÚV not to participate in Eurovision in 2024 unless Israel is denied participation in the competition on the same grounds as Russia in the last competition. We all have a duty to take a stand against war and the killing of civilians and innocent children. We always have the choice not to put our name to such things, whether we are individuals or state institutions. We owe it to the nations that act with military force to not share with them in an event that is always characterized by joy and optimism.

The reaction of RTÉ and EBU

RTÉ takes into account the petition and the protests but it does not seem that neither RTÉ nor any other EBU member will take action, boycotting the contest. Specifically, an RTÉ’s spokesperson mentions:

RTÉ has always approached the event in the spirit in which it was founded – which is a non-political contest designed to unite audiences and bring people together through a shared love of music and entertainment.

and

RTÉ is not aware of any participating Public Service Broadcaster who is planning to boycott the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest.

Furthermore, EBU responds to the protestors stating that the Union itself serves as an alliance of public service media organizations and hence the Eurovision Song Contest is a competition for broadcasters – not governments.

Regarding Israel’s participation in Eurovision 2024 EBU, via a spokesperson, claims that:

We are a member-led organisation. The governing bodies of the European Broadcasting Union represent the membership.

These bodies have reviewed the participants list and agreed that the Israeli public broadcaster KAN meets all the competition rules and can participate in the Contest next year in Malmö, Sweden, alongside 36 other broadcasters.

Protests against Israel’s participation in Eurovision 2024 are growing in Europe, though this is not the first time. When Tel Aviv hosted the contest in 2019, there were numerous petitions circulated throughout Europe in order to boycott the event, but none were successful.

 

What do you think? Will any of EBU members decide to boycott the 68th Eurovision Song Contest? Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all news!

Source: The Journal

Israel: HaKokhav HaBa for Eurovision 2024 starts tonight!

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Three weeks after its scheduled start on October 31, the HaKokhav HaBa (Rising Star) talent show, which will determine Israel’s representative in the 68th Eurovision Song Contest to be held in Malmö, Sweden, next May, begins tonight.

The armed conflict between Israel and Hamas has led to the so far delayed start of the talent show, with Keshet 12′s makers deciding not to air HaKokhav HaBa until now following the outcry from the Israeli media and the Israeli people for the show’s scheduled premiere at the end of October.

In fact, the title of HaKokhav HaBa is being changed and will now be called The Next Star – Special Edition 2023. However, the name change does not change anything regarding Israel’s participation in Eurovision 2024, as the winner of The Next Star will be the one who will receive the anointment to represent Israel in Malmö.

The presenters of the show will be Assi Azar and Rotem Sela who have been in this position since 2014. The jury members will be Shiri Maimon, Itay Levy, Assaf Amdorsky, Ran Dankar and Keren Pels while Eden Hasson is a new addition.

Through HaKokhav HaBa, Israel managed to qualify for the final of the beloved contest every year from 2015 to 2020, and in 2018 Netta was also the winner of Eurovision with the song “Toy“.

This year Israel at Eurovision 2023 in Liverpool was represented by the explosive Noa Kirel and her song “Unicorn” which gave the Middle Eastern country third place in the Grand Final, scoring 362 points.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3mIcCllJXY

Source: Euromix.co.il

Israel: The search for Eurovision 2024 begins!

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The talent show HaKokhav HaBa (Rising Star) starts its broadcast tonight in Israel. The winner of the show will represent the country in Eurovision 2024.

HaKokhav HaBa returns as a method of selecting the artist representing Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest after 2020. The show was scheduled to start earlier this month, but the armed conflict with Hamas delayed its launch.

Tonight, however, we will watch the first episode of the auditions, which took place a week ago in Jerusalem. The results will be determined by a 60% jury vote and a 40% audience focus group vote. The HaKokhav HaBa jury includes Asaf Amdursky, Itay Levy, Keren Peles, Shiri Maimon, Ran Danker and Eden Hason. The presenters of the show are Assi Azzar and Rotem Sela.

Through HaKokhav HaBa, Israel managed to qualify for the Grand Final every year, and in 2018 Netta won the contest!

This year Israel was represented by the country’s super star Noa Kirel with the song Unicorn, placing third in the Grand Final.

Stay tuned at EurovisionFun for all the latest news regarding our favourite Contest!

 

Israel: Auditions for “The Next Star” are about to start soon!

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The search for the successor of Noa Kirel has just started for Israel. Despite the great success of the internal selection method in 2023, which came up with one of Israel’s biggest stars and a third place result, KAN announced that it will choose its next Eurovision artist through “The Next Star”. “The Next Star” format was first used in 2015 with Eden Alene being the last Israeli participant to be chosen through this show. During these editions, Israel managed to qualify to the Grand Final each year and even won the contest in 2018 with Netta Barzilai.

Auditions for the show will start soon

Open preliminary auditions for “The Next Star” will take place on Sunday 10th of September, at the Tel Aviv Expo and Convention Centre in Pavilion 2, where Eurovision was hosted in 2019.

These preliminary auditions are open to all Israeli participants aged 16 and above, and will require all aspirants to prepare two songs to be sung acapella. Acoustic instruments, such as guitars, can also be used. These preliminary auditions will not be televised, though candidates are warned that video from the day, such as images of the waiting crowd, will be utilized in the show “The Next Star.”

Those who prove to be successful on the day will advance to the show’s auditions, which will be hosted by Assi Azar(Eurovision 2019 host) and Rotem Sela, as they have done since 2014. On the judging panel we will also see Shiri Maimon, who represented Israel in 2005.

Recorded auditions will take place in late September and the show is set to premiere in November.

22 years-old Noa Kirel represented Israel this year in Liverpool with her song “Unicorn“, taking the third place and soon becoming a Eurovision sensation!

Stay tuned on EurovisionFun for all Eurovision news!

Source: euromix