Israel on Saturday won the world public vote at 2024 Eurovision after months of boycott threats and demands that the country be banned from the contest. Israeli singer Eden Golan had been booed during her final performance in the Swedish city of Malmö.
Despite the backlash, Golan sang her song, “Hurricane,” originally titled “October Rain” in reference to Hamas’ brutal invasion of Israel on October 7, and placed fifth in the competition overall out of 25 contenders. The Israeli delegation changed the title and some of the lyrics after Eurovision organizers said it violated the prohibition on politicized lyrics. From the audience, there were both loud boos and applause, as well as Israeli flags.
Out of 37 eligible to vote, voters in 14 different countries plus those in all non-participating nations as a group, delivered the maximum points, 12, to Israel for the public vote, according to the Times of Israel. This was the second year in a row that Israel won the “rest of the world” vote. Israel received 323 points from the public in total, according to the Jerusalem Post.
In a Thursday night message, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu wished Golan luck, celebrating her for representing her country and standing strong in the face of international hatred.
“Eden, I want to wish you success. you know what?,” he said in a video. “You already made it! Because you are not only competing in Eurovision in a proud and very impressive way, you are successfully facing an ugly wave of antisemitism — and you are standing up to it and representing the State of Israel with great honor.”
“Know that when you are booed at, we shout to you ‘Hooray / Bravo!’” Netanyahu added.
Some critics blamed the Eurovision organizer, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), for not barring Israel for conducting its war to destroy Hamas in Gaza, comparing it to when Russia was banned after it invaded Ukraine in 2022. Striving to keep the art neutral from politics, the EBU struggled to prevent contestants from making statements against Israel on stage.
The organization ordered nonbinary Irish contestant Bambie Thug, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, to remove makeup from their face and legs that read “cease-fire” and “freedom for Palestine” written in the ancient Celtic language. Thug proceeded to perform original song “Doomsday Blue,” that involved witchcraft and satanic elements, as well as a costume reveal with the transgender flag. The lyrics of the song allegedly mentioned hexing and spells.
Thug knocked Israel in an exit interview with Sky News after Israel beat Ireland to fifth place overall, snapping, “My favourite non-binary won the competition and I’m so proud of us all. And the top six, minus one were all freedom fighters.”
The EBU also reprimanded Eric Saade, a former Swedish Eurovision contestant of Palestinian descent, for sporting the keffiyeh scarf associated with the Palestinian cause on his wrist during a guest performance.
Eurovision stars from the U.K., Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Lithuania, Norway, Portugal, San Marino and Switzerland signed a joint statement demanding a ceasefire in Gaza. The signees included nonbinary Swiss singer Nemo, who won all of Eurovision on Saturday night.
In early May, a spokesperson for Israeli broadcaster KAN said Israeli President Isaac Herzog “emphasized that at this time in particular, when those who hate us seek to push aside and boycott the state of Israel from every stage, Israel must sound its voice with pride and its head high and raise its flag in every world forum, especially this year.”
Friends and fans greeted Golan with cheers and flowers as she landed back in Israel.