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A “Popular” eurostar take on Israel: “Israel is the most dangerous and disgusting nation in the world.”

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Over the last couple of months, many Eurostars have expressed their views publicly in their social media, about the ongoing Middle-Eastern conflict between Israel and Palestine.

The Swedish–Lebanese superstar Eric Saade has been expressing his opposition to Israel on a daily basis, after Israel started their operations in Gaza. On one of his Instagram stories one day before Christmas, he described Israel as “the most dangerous and disgusting nation in the world“, on a story that can be seen below:

Saade was also one of the many Swedish stars that on the 20th of October signed a petition addressing the Swedish government, to condemn all violence against civilians and every violation of the international law.

 

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A post shared by Eric Saade (@ericsaadeofficial)

Eurovision 2024

At the moment, Eric‘s role in next year’s Eurovision Song Contest is unclear. There have been rumours of Gina Dirawi leading the contest to be held in Malmö, Sweden, but it will be no surprise if the Swedish–Lebanese superstar is involved in the show in any way. It remains to be seen in the following weeks or months.

Who is Eric Saade?

Eric Saade is a Swedish–Lebanese singer and songwriter, born on October 29, 1990, in Kattarp, Sweden from a Swedish mum and a Lebanese of Palestinian origin father. With a career that spans pop, R&B, and dance music, Saade has been a notable presence in the Melodifestivalen, Sweden‘s annual music competition to select their Eurovision entry. His first foray was in 2010 with the song “Manboy” securing a respectable third place. The following year, in 2011, Saade not only competed but triumphed with the electro-pop hit “Popular” earning him the Melodifestivalen title and subsequently giving him the chance to represent Sweden at the Eurovision Song Contest in Düsseldorf, Germany.

His Mello-presence continued in 2015 when he returned with the song “Sting” finishing in fifth place. His final and fourth participation at the Swedish national selection process was in 2021, when he almost represented Sweden with the song “Every Minute” after placing second at the grand final.

In 2019 he was one of the presenters of Melodifestivalen and along with Sarah Dawn Finer, Marika Carlsson and Kodjo Akolor he performed an Israel mashup, following the Eurovision victory of Israel and Netta with the song “Toy“, which is something that, due to the latest circumstances, we will probably not see him do in the foreseeable future.

Eric Saade‘s Melodifestivalen journey showcases his versatility and enduring popularity in the Swedish music scene. His contributions to the music industry extend beyond Eurovision, as he has released several successful albums and singles, establishing himself as a prominent figure in the Swedish music scene.

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Photo: Stina Stjernkvist, SVT

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

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The ninth episode of HaKokhav Haba (special edition), the talent show through which Israel‘s representative for Eurovision 2024 will be selected, aired on Monday, December 25!

In episode nine, 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.

One of the 32cartists that have already qualified for the contest’s subsequent phase will ultimately represent Israel at Eurovision 2024. The presenters announced that the auditions will conclude the next week.

Michel Cohen

Michel, 25-year-old from Dimona, won the first season of “Μusic School” as a child and now he tries to represent Israel in Eurovision. He gave concerts in Israel and the whole world and he keeps on engaging with music With an 88% vote, and the vote of all the judges, Michel qualifies for the next phase.

Itai Ben Shalom

Itay, 23-year-old from Binyamina, and he studied in a music high school and at Ramon, he served in a military compound and he now dreams of representing Israel in Eurovision. Two judges thought his performance was old-fashioned and they didn’t vote. With the minimum threshold of 70%, he qualifies to the next phase.

Roman Belove

Roman, a 24-year-old refugee from Russia, left Moscow when the Russo-Ukrainian war started. His music style is rock. His performance confused the judges, with some being amazed and some not. He qualifies with a score of 72% to the next phase.

Sharon Kiddoshin

Sharon, 30-year-old from Tel Aviv, took part in the fourth season of  “The Star is Born” and ended up in fourth place. In the end of the season, she didn’t know how to keep on with her career and so abstained. Sharon chose to sing a new song, which she devotes to all women of Israel, that have gaced the cruelties of war. With the vote of all the judges, he qualifies with 79%.

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.

https://youtu.be/Z3mIcCllJXY

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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!

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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

Israel: All that happened on HaKokhav Haba’s fifth episode!

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On Sunday the 10th of December, the fifth episode of HaKokhav Haba (special edition) was aired, through which the winning artist of the show will gain the opportunity to represent Israel in Eurovision Song Contest 2024.

Three more artists mangaed to qualify to the next stage of HaKhohav Haba still owning the hope to represent Israel in Eurovision. On the fifth episode of the show, three out of the four artists competing managed to qualify. Keep in mind that Assi Azar and Rotem Sela are the show’s hosts since 2014, while the jury’s members are Shiri Maimon, Itay Levi, Assaf Amdorsky, Ran Dankar and Keren Pels while Eden Hasson is the jury’s newest member.

The artists who qualified are the following:

Malki Lipskar

Malki is 26 years old and she was raised within a conservative family. However, her father was the one who encouraged her to become a singer no matter his conservative beliefs. The judges described her performance as “flawless” and everyone voted in favor of her. She qualified for the show’s next stage holding a 95%.

Dor Shimoni

Dor is 29 years old and he has two children. He considers himself as a “mediterranean” artist. The judges were astonished by his performance on very demanding and challenging song vocally. He managed to qualify for the next stage holding a 94%.

Yehuda Sadoo

Yehuda is 40 years old and a father of five children! He is an already known artist among the Israeli audience since his 22 years old when he became the winner of an other TV talent show, “A Star I s Born”. The jury was devided by his performance since some were in favor of him while others were against his qualification. Nevertheless, he qualified for the next stage holding a marginal 73%.

More auditions are going to be performed on HaKokhav Haba‘s next episode, which until now nobody actually knows when it is going to be broadcasted. Via this show, Israel qualified for the Grand Final from 2015 since 2020, while in 2018 Netta was also the winner of that year’s Eurovision singing “Toy“.

Until we find out who is going to reperesent Israel in Eurovision 2024, take a look at its final entry till now for Eurovision 2023 in Liverpool, with Noa Kirel singing “Unicorn” ending up in 3rd place with 362 points:

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

Source: https://www.euromix.co.il/

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EBU: Israel’s public broadcaster complies with the rules of Eurovision 2024!

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In a public statement to the Belgian newspaper HLN, the EBU comments on its announcement regarding the list of 37 competing countries in Eurovision 2024, with the inclusion of Israel in this list.

The announcement of the list with the 37 competing nations of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest by EBU a few days ago, was a matter of controversy on the social media, since a part of the eurofans considered that Israel should have been disqualified from the upcoming contest.

In fact, there were not a few who compared the case of Russia with that of Israel, accusing the EBU of having double standards in similar cases.

Responding to a relevant question from the Belgian newspaper HLN, the EBU comments that the list of countries that are going to compete in Eurovision 2024 has been approved by the relevant bodies of the association, while regarding Israel it replies that its participation is given, since its public television fully comlies with the competition regulations.

“The EBU’s governing bodies […] reviewed the list of participants and decided that the Israeli public broadcaster complies with all competition rules”

The EBU’s decision is reasonable at this time. It is worth reminding that the case of Russia and Belarus’ disualification are two completely different cases. Russia’s public television was expelled by the EBU due to its use by the Russian government as a propaganda tool in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, violating its territorial integrity. As far as Belarus is conserned, a temporary exclusion from the competition and from the EBU for three years was decided, as a penalty for the attempt of the country’s public television to politicize Eurovision 2021, by sending an entry with clear political lyrics.

The case of Israel has nothing to do with the above, since the war conflict did not start with its own fault on the one hand and on the other hand its war response came as a result of the terrorist attack by Hamas on October 7th.

Since the question around Israel’s inclusion in the upcoming contest was solved, the only thing pending now is whether Romania will manage to be present in Malmö, in May, raising the number of the participating countries to 38.

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Israel: What happened on the fourth episode of HaKokhav Haba!

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Last night, Wednesday 06/12, the fourth episode of HaKokhav Haba (special edition) was broadcast, the talent show through which will emerge the next representative who will fly the flag of Israel in the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö, Sweden.

Four more artists advanced to the next round of HaKokhav Haba, continuing to claim the ticket to Malmö. On the fourth episode we watched five audtions, however only four artists qualified to the next round. We remind you that the presenters of HaKokhav Haba are Assi Azar and Rotem Sela who have been in this position since 2014, while the members of the jury are Shiri Maimon, Itay Levy, Assaf Amdorsky, Ran Dankar and Keren Pels with a new addition being Eden Hasson.

Mika Moshe

Although Mika is 16 years old, she is already known in Israel, having even released a song that became a big hit. She participated in the Music School talent show when she was a student. Mika confidently stood on stage, although she had several insecurities, which cost her votes. But he convinced the public in general and most of the judges and so with 79% she qualified for the next phase.

Noya Shram

The choice of the song divided the judges, who thought that such a show might not fit the mood of the day, with some taking her side and some others not. Despite this, 17-year-old Noya passed to the next phase with 70%.

Liran Ben Moshe

Liran is 21 years old, he was a soldier in the Israel Defense Forces and at the end of his service he decided he wanted to be a cook. He dedicated the song with which he participated to his sergeant who fell in the battle against the terrorist organization Hamas. Most reviewers were positive about it. With 75% he qualified for the next phase.

Oral Ravid

Oral is 16 years old, but as the judges commented, he has the confidence of a 70-year-old artist. The judges called Oral’s performance the best of today’s episode, although one of the judges didn’t give him a positive vote, thinking he might not be ready for Eurovision. With 87%, Oral passed to the next phase of the show.

HaKokhav Haba continues with more auditions in the next episode, which so far no one knows when this will be aired. Through HaKokhav HaBa, Israel managed to advance to the final of our favorite competition every year from 2015 to 2020, while in 2018 Netta was also the winner of Eurovision with the song “Toy”.

This year at Eurovision 2023 in Liverpool Israel was represented by the fiery Noa Kirel and the song “Unicorn” who gave the Middle Eastern country a third place in the Grand Final, collecting 362 points.

https://youtu.be/Z3mIcCllJXY

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Israel: What happened in the second episode of HaKokhav Haba!

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Last night, Saturday 2/12, was broadcast the second episode of HaKokhav Haba (special edition), the talent show through which will emerge the next representative who will fly the flag of Israel in the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö, Sweden.

Three more artists advanced to the next round of HaKokhav Haba, continuing to claim the ticket to Malmö. Two weeks after the airing of the first episode, and after much tension and emotion caused by the release of dozens of hostages by Hamas, on Saturday the organizers thought they could broadcast the second episode of the show.

In the second episode we watched four audtions, however only three artists qualified to the next round. We remind you that the presenters of HaKokhav Haba are Assi Azar and Rotem Sela who have been in this position since 2014, while the members of the jury are Shiri Maimon, Itay Levy, Assaf Amdorsky, Ran Dankar and Keren Pels with a new addition being Eden Hasson.

Moriah

Moriah is 26 years old and comes from the southern settlements on the border with Gaza, where about 1,400 Israeli citizens were massacred by the Hamas terrorist strike. Moriah dances and sings but doesn’t have much stage experience. The judges were moved by her performance, as was the audience. With 96% of positive votes, she advanced to the next phase.

Yonathan Biton

Yonathan, 28 years old, sang with a group of six other people. Although he did not know that the winner of the show will represent Israel at Eurovision 2024, he happily accepted this invitation wanting to spread “light” in Europe. The judges thought that the covers he makes are very original and gave him their positive vote. With 86%, he also passed to the next round of the process.

Arik Sinai

Arik Sinai, 74 years old, is already a very successful and well-known artist in Israel. His success started in the 80s with many hits, while his career even extends to the USA! He is participating in HaKokhav Haba because he was approached by the production team who had already tried twice to make it with no success. At the end of his performance the judges stood up and gave him a standing ovation. He does not believe that age is an obstacle and will do his best to reach Malmö. With 90% of the votes, he advanced to the next phase.

HaKokhav Haba continues with more auditions in the next episode, which so far no one knows when this will be aired. Through HaKokhav HaBa, Israel managed to advance to the final of our favorite competition every year from 2015 to 2020, while in 2018 Netta was also the winner of Eurovision with the song “Toy”.

This year at Eurovision 2023 in Liverpool Israel was represented by the fiery Noa Kirel and the song “Unicorn” who gave the Middle Eastern country a third place in the Grand Final, collecting 362 points

https://youtu.be/Z3mIcCllJXY

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Eurovision 2024: Mass calls for boycott of Eurovision!

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The final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 is just under six months away. After Loreen‘s victory with the song “Tattoo” last May, the competition will take place in Malmö.

Israel as part of Eurovision Song Contest

Israel has been a part of Eurovision since 1973 and has won the contest four times. They are not the only non-European country participating. Australia and Armenia are examples of recurring non-European participants. Countries such as Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan also have the opportunity to compete but have chosen not to do so. Non-European countries have the opportunity to participate due to their membership of the EBU.

Despite the fact that Belarus and Russia are located in Europe, they cannot participate in Eurovision today as they are excluded from the EBU.

Activists call for a boycott of Eurovision

Now, several campaigns are underway on social media calling for a boycott of Eurovision, due to the participation of Israel. Ida Helene Benonisen is a Norwegian activist who fights for the rights of the Sámi and LGBTQ people.

“I think there is a double standard in excluding Russia while allowing Israel to continue to participate in the competition, despite the fact that they are violating international law – something even the UN has pointed out. Europe should show that we do not support their actions.”

In a post that has received a quarter of a million views on Tiktok, she explains how member states can be urged to refrain from sending entries to the competition if Israel participates:

“During my time at the Norwegian MGP in the before Eurovision 2022, I realised that the member states’ threat not to participate if Russia was involved, played a crucial role in the decision to exclude Russia from the competition”

Controversies surrounding Israel’s participation in Eurovision

The last time Malmö hosted the music competition, in 2013, the chairman of the Left Party in Malmö wanted to ban Israel from participating. At the same time, the Israeli embassy appealed to the city of Malmö to increase security after the violent riots that occurred in 2009 in reaction to the tennis match between Israel and Sweden in Malmö. After the music competition, the Israeli delegates reported that they were subjected to anti-Semitic threats. In 2016, the Palestinian flag was banned from the music competition. In 2019, the Icelandic entry was fined after displaying a Palestinian banner during the competition in Tel Aviv, Israel.

What will happen in Malmö next May?

The EBU has still not given a final decision on which countries will participate in Malmö next year, but the plan right now is for Israel to participate as usual.

Karin Karlsson is the City of Malmö‘s overall project manager for the Eurovision Song Contest. She had the same role in 2013.

“In 2013, we took safety into account. But in 2024, it’s a much more complex security situation. It’s an issue we work on every day.”

Karin Karlsson emphasizes that it is not the City of Malmö that decides who can compete, but that all countries that compete are welcome to Malmö. At the same time, there should be room for democratic protests, if desired.

“There are many forces that want to create a nice folk festival here in Malmö. At the same time, we are a democracy and it is important to show that.”

The Eurovision Song Contest 2024 is organized in collaboration with the city of Malmö and will be broadcast from Malmö Arena on Tuesday 7 May (semi-final 1), Thursday 9 May (semi-final 2) and Saturday 11 May (final).

Source: Helsingborgs Dagblad

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Sweden: Security planning for Eurovision 2024 in Malmö intensified!

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As you’ve read on one of our articles last week, based on the increased terrorist threat level, the Swedish Police Authority had decided to ban bags at major events in Sweden.

Consequently, Malmö is currently evaluating the current situation caused by the ongoing Middle-East conflict and is discussing the ways of making the forthcoming Eurovision Song Contest as safe as possible.

Speaking to Sveriges Radio, Nils Norling, spokesperson for the police of Malmö mentioned:

“If we look at Malmö during the last month, we have seen a certain increase in hate crime. Daily we see manifestations, mostly pro-Palestinian. So we cannot exclude that people will try and carry out various manifestations.”

Up until now, the police of Malmö hasn’t identified any direct threats to the contest, but it goes without saying that the intelligence work will intensify as we are approaching to the contest.

Sveriges Radio also interviewed Karin Karlsson, who is the lead for organising the events of Malmö municipality. Karin reflected on one manifestation against the Israeli participation that was carried out back in 2013 and added:

“I think that we need to act preventively and keep in mind that more could happen than in 2013, and then follow the things the police tells us to do.”

Apart from the Eurovision Song Contest, the city of Malmö will host several events in public or outdoor spaces. But does this pose a threat according to Karlsson?

“We try to look at places where we are used to having good security and controls, so the places we want to use should feel safe.“

More safety specifications regarding the Eurovision Song Contest will be released within the following months.

The 68th Eurovision Song Contest will take place in Malmö, Sweden in 7, 9 and 11th of May 2024, after the second win of Loreen in Liverpool, with her song “Tattoo”:

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Source: Sveriges Radio

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