The Israeli Government Admits to Campaigning for Eden Golan
The recent Eurovision Song Contest held in Malmö has been marked by significant controversy, including the intervention of the Israeli government to promote votes for its representative, Eden Golan. David Saranga, a senior diplomat at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, confirmed to The Times of Israel that there was an organized operation to influence the voting outcome.
Saranga admitted that the Israeli Foreign Ministry actively intervened among its sympathizers to encourage votes for Golan. «It is true that at the Foreign Ministry we intervened among the sympathetic public to encourage voting,» Saranga stated, according to rtvslo.si. This acknowledgment highlights a well-orchestrated campaign that was limited to Israel’s regular supporters and extended to a broader audience, including those who do not traditionally follow the Eurovision contest.
In statements to Ynet, Saranga emphasized that while they knew the situation was not as critical as it appeared following the protests in Europe, they did not expect such massive support. He recognized that «clearly there was an organized group, and Israel’s supporters made efforts to encourage voting for Golan,» also confirming that they even encouraged those who do not follow Eurovision to vote.
Ynet also reported that the Israeli government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs invested significant resources in this «promotion campaign.»This campaign included direct orders to their representatives in European countries to encourage people to vote for Israel. Grayzone noted that individual ambassadors and official representatives of Israel in several European countries issued similar calls, urging votes for Golan.
The Israeli government’s strategy was not confined to Europe. Israeli politicians also commissioned advertisements on platforms such as YouTube and rented a billboard in the famous Times Square in New York. This tactic aimed to motivate Americans, who traditionally are not interested in Eurovision, to participate in the voting.
The result of this extensive campaign was remarkable. Eden Golan received the second-highest televote with 323 points, only surpassed by Croatia’s Baby Lasagna with 337 points. The Israeli song «Hurricane» received 12 points from the televotes of multiple countries, including Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, among others, as well as 12 points from the rest of the world. Additionally, it received 10 points from the televotes of Albania, Austria, Moldova, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Ireland, and Slovenia.
The Israeli media quickly interpreted these results as evidence of universal support for Israel. According to the American news portal Grayzone, Ynet asserted that «the fact that even in countries where public opinion is critical of Israel, such as Sweden and Ireland, they gave Israel numerous points,» demonstrates that in Europe, «the clandestine currents of the pro-Zionist movement are strong.»
This episode highlights the complexities and controversies surrounding international competitions like Eurovision, where politics and diplomacy often intertwine with art and entertainment. Israel’s intervention in this case has raised questions about the integrity of the contest and the influence that governments can have on such events.
