© Shai Franco
Israel –
Israel chooses Eden Golan (20) as their candidate for the Eurovision Song Contest. Despite the increasingly louder protests against their participation.
She won the television talent show HaKokhav Haba, thanks to her version of I don’t want to miss a thing by Aerosmith. A song she dedicated to the 130 Israelis held in Gaza by Hamas. “We won’t really be okay until everyone comes home,” she said.
READ ALSO. More than 1,000 Swedish musicians in open letter: “Exclude Israel from Eurovision Song Contest 2024”
Golan moved to Russia when she was six, and already took part in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest for that country in 2015. She returned to Israel two years ago. Due to the conflict in Gaza, the Israeli candidate is required this year to deliver a song in which (partly) Hebrew lyrics can be heard.
Golan will then travel to Malmö in May. Even if the organization does not respond to the call for a boycott of Israel. A statement from the Association of Composers and Songwriters has already come from Iceland that they do not consider Israel’s military action in Gaza to be compatible with their participation in an event that is “characterized by joy and optimism.” And there are also protests in Finland. There they point to the national broadcaster Yle, which according to them was the first to call for the exclusion of Russia when it invaded Ukraine in 2022. (eadp)