Posts

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

/2 Comments/in , , , /by

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

Eurovision 2024: Mass calls for boycott of Eurovision!

/11 Comments/in , , , /by

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

Follow us in all our social media, so that you’ll not miss a thing of anything regarding the Eurovision Song Contest: 

 

 

 

The Netherlands: DENK invites Palestine to Eurovision

/0 Comments/in , , /by

Representatives of the DENK party at the Rotterdam city council have asked the mayor and the city’s executive council about Palestine’s acceptance of the upcoming Eurovision song contest to be held in the Netherlands in May 2020.

In the context of the Middle East peace process, we would also like to see Palestine participate in the Eurovision Song Contest. Any country that is an active member of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) may participate in the contest. Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and Libya are also members.

The 4 representatives of the party also added that:

In the context of association and mutual acceptance, it is the ideal time for Palestine to get involved in the competition.

The municipality of Rotterdam has no right to which countries can participate in the contest and which can not, as determined by the EBU. Therefore, DENK board members are asking the city council to put pressure on the NPO public channel to invite Palestine to the competition.

The DENK party is based in the Netherlands and calls itself a “movement”. Ideologically, it is based on acceptance among people, within a just society based on international law. At the same time, it aims to eliminate racism against immigrants and to diversify education. The party has been accused, among other things, of close connection with Erdogan’s conservative party in Turkey.

Palestine at Eurovision

The Palestinian public broadcaster, PBC, was an affiliated member of the EBU. In 2007, it applied for full membership and thus was eligible to participate in Eurovision, which was ultimately rejected because it did not meet the prerequisites.

The issue of Palestine has not left the Eurovision Circle unaffected either, with the culmination of this year’s Israeli event. Both the invitation of organizations and politicians / celebrities in various countries to boycott this year’s event, as well as the internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter Madonna, as well as Iceland’s representatives waving the Palestinian flag during the pre-election campaign. reactions in Israel resulting in a fine on the latter by the EBU.