With Israel having secured its place, following a demand by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) that Israel re-write the words of its original entry, words that obliquely referenced the Hamas Terror attack on October 7 last year, thousands of European artists and musical personalities have resorted to calling for a boycott of the entire event.

Israel is no stranger to Eurovision political controversy. Following Israel's fifth win in 2018, when singer Netta Barzilai roamed the stage with her infamous chicken impersonating song — “Toy" —  many Irish celebrities lined up the following year to call for an Irish boycott of the competition hosted by Jerusalem.

Eurovision, of course, has never been far from politics. From the weary annual faux indignation at regional voting blocs to the now legendary story of the Portuguese entry song 50 years ago, "E Depois do Adeus" (And After The Farewell), when played over the radio in Lisbon on the night of April 25, 1974, it apparently gave the signal for the beginning of a military coup in Portugal.

Ukraine’s emphatic victory in 2022, less than three months after the Russian invasion was another high political watermark. Its winning entry, attracting a wave of European empathy, garnered the top 12 or ‘Douze Points’ in the popular vote from 28 countries, an impressive 94% of the maximum vote possible from the voting public across Europe (and Australia!). 

Incidentally, the EBU in 2007 chose not to censor the obvious politically charged words of the Ukrainian entry “Russia-Goodbye”, which came in a close second.

The chances of even more heightened political musical drama at this year's competition — a Palestinian, Israeli showdown in the final — were dashed when Jerusalem-born Palestinian artist Bashar Murad unexpectedly lost out to represent Iceland.

Much to the chagrin perhaps of many in the Irish music industry, who have been championing a boycott of the Eurovision, Israel’s entry “Hurricane” sung by 20-year-old Eden Golan is currently eighth favourite to win. Ireland’s Bambie Thug is just ahead in seventh place. 

Despite those betting odds, Israelis are not expecting many votes. Their mere presence at the competition this year is seen as a victory of sorts by those tasked to battle the BDS (Boycotts Sanctions Disinvestment) against Israel.

The Examiner spoke directly to the Israeli Ambassador in Sweden, Zvi Nevo Kulman, an apparent ardent fan of Eurovision. He had a direct message to those calling for a boycott in Ireland. 

“Israel, like Sweden and Ireland, is one of the most successful countries in the history of the Eurovision Song Contest. 

It is regrettable that a bunch of extremists — like the kind of Islamic Jihadists who danced in the streets of Malmo after the October 7th massacre, combined with radical supporters of the BDS movement are hijacking all the attention.

He somewhat provocatively added that “they are united by hate and have nothing to do with the values of the competition”.

Even the President of Israel, Issac Herzog, has weighed in on the controversy with the Times of Israel quoting the President in February, saying: “I think it’s important for Israel to appear in Eurovision, and this is also a statement because there are haters who try to drive us off every stage,”.

No warm welcomes are expected for Israel however with reports that the customary red-carpet welcome for each contestant is to be shelved for the Israeli singer. Security is expected to be tight with a large Israeli security entourage accompanying Golan.

There are also reports that the authorities in Malmo, home to a large Muslim and Palestinian population, have sought police reinforcements, equipped with submachine guns, from neighbouring Denmark and Norway.

The Eurovision success of Israel, four-time winners of the competition, seems curiously linked to the backdrop of the Israel-Arab politics. In the year preceding Israel’s last win in 2018, Palestinian deaths at the hands of Israel Forces in the Occupied West Bank and Gaza — a total of 66 — was lower than in every previous year, bar one, since the year 2000. 

In 1979, Israel hosting the competition in Jerusalem won for the second year in a row with the song “Hallelujah”. The victory took place just five days after the signing of the Israeli-Egypt peace treaty on March 31, proof perhaps that the fortunes of Israeli Eurovision entries are not unrelated to the Israeli Palestinian conflict.

It remains to be seen, however, whether the bookies have called the odds on this year's competition right, and whether the expected backlash to the Israel entry will materialize onstage or off in Malmo or indeed in the living rooms of the voting public across Europe. 

Of course, the public cannot vote against any one country, and minority vocal pro-Israeli sentiment may in fact play an unexpected outsized role in the voting this year.

Croatia remain the favourites, with Ukraine once again, battling it out, according to the bookies, for a top five position.

It's worth noting that Russia was ejected from the competition in 2022, and remains banned, not because it invaded Ukraine, per se, but because the state broadcasters were deemed to have flouted EBU "membership obligations” in part because the same Russian state broadcasters were accused of having acted as mouth pieces for the regime's actions in Ukraine. 

It would appear nobody in the EBU HQ has been watching Israel's state broadcaster, Kan, and its coverage of the Israeli war on Gaza on Israeli television Channel 11.