Eurovision Song Contest
The song contest director’s cautious remarks signal a potential policy shift amid mounting anti-Israel pressure from member countries.
“This contradicts the spirit of fairness and unity that the slogan ‘United by Music’ purports to embody,” an angry fan wrote.
“You brought so much honor and pride to your country, especially after what you went through,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Yuval Raphael, a survivor of the Hamas massacre at the Nova music festival on Oct. 7, 2023.
Singer Yuval Raphael was beaming with joy at Ben-Gurion Airport, saying that she felt a “huge, huge victory.”
“I’ve never felt so victorious in my life,” said the Israeli singer and Nova massacre survivor.
The Oct. 7 survivor advanced from the second semifinal and will be among the final 26 entries at Saturday night’s event in Switzerland.
“Antisemitism. Throat-slitting gestures. From our perspective that was a red line,” said Young, a member of the Israeli delegation to the contest.
The Swiss city embraces the festivities while maintaining relative calm for Israeli visitors, offering stark contrast to last year’s tensions in Malmö.
Israeli participants Yuval Raphael was accompanied by bodyguards.
The National Security Council noted that jihadist organizations, including Hamas and Hezbollah, are actively attempting to attack Israelis and Jews abroad.
The Israeli singer channels trauma and hope as she heads to Basel, aiming to honor the fallen and inspire with “New Day Will Rise.”
The young singer survived the Oct. 7 massacre by playing dead beneath the corpses of other music festival attendees.
