Eurovision 2024: What if Israel had won the competition with Eden Golan despite the surrounding hostility?

Panic on board the EMU. The European Broadcasting Union must now review Israel’s victory at Eurovision 2024. After Israel’s rather expected run to the final on Saturday night, Italy’s publication of its viewers’ voting results has left the question of the possibility of mass support for candidate Eden Golan.

During the broadcast of the second semi-final this Thursday, May 9, Italian television was supposed to show a banner with the percentage of votes received by each song. The result is clear: over 39% for Israel, while other competitors struggle to exceed 5%. In a press release published this Friday, RAI states that this was an error and “partial results.”

Then a scenario emerged that had never been thought of before: what if Israel wins? With her song “Hurricane,” Eden Golan rose up the player rankings, finishing second behind Croatia. According to the current rule, if he wins, he will travel to Israel to organize the competition next year. A task that, during war, seems very difficult both from an economic and security point of view.

Shadow October 7

Following Ukraine’s victory in 2022, President Volodymyr Zelensky said the competition could be held on his soil next year, but months later the EBU chose to entrust the event to runner-up Britain to ensure everything went smoothly. Therefore, another host country may be considered if it turns out that Eurovision cannot take place in Israel.

How to explain this sudden success? On the Parisian’s side – Today in France, we must admit that Eden Golan’s monotonous song left us relatively indifferent. We’re a far cry from Netta’s feminist and haunting 2018 “Toy” or the moving 2009 “There Must Be Another Way,” when singer Noa shared the stage with Mira Awad, an Israeli Arab.

But the debate is not only musical. The serious trauma that the October 7 terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas caused to the Israeli population, and the need to interpret the title that refers to it in the lyrics, gave the song a special dimension.

At the same time, the Jewish state’s diplomacy has mounted an effective vote-call campaign on social media through its embassy accounts, which encourage Israelis abroad to vote for their representative. This approach is not new, but it has been used in the past year and remains fully authorized. Other countries also use it occasionally, although the Israeli strategy seems particularly beefed up for this edition.

It has also been difficult for the Israeli delegation to be in Malmo over the past few days. In addition to strong security measures and demonstrations against his participation, Eden Golan must face serious criticism even from his competitors.

General hostility against Eden Golan

At the end of the second semi-final, during the press conference of the qualifying countries, several representatives clearly expressed their reluctance to the Israelis to participate, such as the Greek Marina Satti or the Dutch Joost Klein. This is evidenced by their behavior during the interrogation of Eden Golan.

Earlier in the evening, Belgian Mustiy took to the stage with “Peace” written on his shoulder. Artist Bambi Thug, representing Ireland, also showed his clear support for the Palestinian cause and also wanted to sing with a ‘truce’ sign on his face before it was banned by the organisation.

Criticism of the Israeli government’s policies in Gaza, which, nevertheless, falls on the fragile shoulders of a 20-year-old girl who tirelessly repeats elements of communication during interrogations. Despite his beautiful voice and poetic production, his song struggles to make it big and objectively doesn’t deserve the title when compared to the offerings from the 2024 vintage. It remains to be seen whether political will will prevail over artistic will.