Services under close surveillance. The Israeli Eden Golan, chosen to represent her country in Eurovision 2024, will perform this Thursday, May 9 in the afternoon as part of the second semifinal of the contest, with the aim of qualifying for the big evening on SATURDAY. And this warm-up lap may be one of the only times she leaves her hotel room in Malmö, Sweden, where the competition is being held this year.
The scant information that has leaked about the Israeli delegation’s preparations suggests extraordinary measures. Because this 68th edition of the telegancho takes place in a climate of hostility towards the participation of the Jewish State, due to the war that has been waged between Israel and Hamas for seven months. So much so that the 20-year-old girl, who represents her country with the song Hurricanewould be a cause for concern on the part of the Shin Bet, the Israeli intelligence service.
live edition
According to the Israeli site ynet, Eden Golan benefits from the most important security measures for an Israeli delegation since 1974, an edition that followed the Yom Kippur War. He adds that these measures are the most important for an Israeli trip since the start of the war, surpassing those implemented for the Jewish State’s athletes during their international meets in recent months.
Because in addition to the numerous calls for a boycott from artists and fans of the contest, this 2024 edition is taking place in a climate of palpable tension. In March, shortly after the Jewish state’s participation was confirmed, The Times of Israel reported that a Eurovision promotional poster installed in Malmö had been sprayed with red paint and marked with the inscription “Free Gaza.”
In recent weeks, at least half a dozen organizations have submitted a request to prove against the Israeli presence in the competition, in this city where he lives a large part of the Swedish population of Palestinian origin.
In addition, the city’s security director held a press conference in April about security measures at the site, where some 100,000 tourists from 80 different countries are expected. In particular, he announced that the police presence would be reinforced with personnel from Norway and Denmark and more heavily armed police officers than usual.
“We are in a situation where we must take precautionary measures and have on hand the tools that we may need in the event of a serious incident,” police chief Petra Stenkulla added.
Threats of death
It is in Eden Golan where these hostilities crystallize. The young woman was the subject of death threats on social networks. They led the EBU to publish a press release in early April to report “any form of online abuse, hate speech or harassment directed at (its) artists or anyone associated with the contest.”
According to Ynet, the Shin Bet made several exploratory visits to Malmö before the arrival of the singer, who landed on Swedish soil on April 30. The decision was made to reduce the number of members of the Israeli delegation who would participate in the trip, according to the same source, who did not specify to what extent the team was reduced.
Quasi-containment
In early May, Swedish outlet Espressen, broadcast by the Telegraph, reported that the Shin Bet had ordered the young woman to limit her trips to Malmö, instructing her to leave her hotel room only for official events. So, we only saw it during traditional rehearsals.
On Sunday, while the 37 candidates of this edition crowded the “turquoise carpet” for the opening ceremony, Eden Golan did not appear before the photographers. A spokesperson for Israeli broadcaster Kan told The Times of Israel that the absence was due to Yom HaShoah, a Holocaust remembrance day established by the Israeli calendar, which began that night. Instead, the young woman participated in a ceremony in honor of the missing, with members of Malmö’s Jewish community.
In April, a former Shin Bet security official, Mickey Weinberg, also stated on the Israeli channel Channel 12 that Eden Golan would be accompanied in all her movements by a bodyguard.
Israelis encouraged not to travel to Malmö
But the singer is not the only Israeli whose safety concerns the country’s authorities. Last Thursday, the Jewish State advised its citizens against traveling to the Swedish city of Malmö, where the competition will be held from May 7 to 11. Eurovisionciting possible attacks against Israelis.
Referring to plans for “anti-Israel demonstrations” and “calls to attack Jews and Israelis,” the National Security Council (NSC), an organization reporting to the Prime Minister, fears that “terrorist cells will take advantage of the demonstrations and the climate.” anti-Israel movement to carry out attacks against Israelis who came to Sweden for Eurovision. Additionally, the NSC raised the threat level in Malmö from 2 (potential threat) to 3 (moderate threat).
The devastating response of the Israeli army in Gaza left more than 34,000 dead according to Hamas, in retaliation for the massacre perpetrated by the terrorist organization that 1,170 dead on the Israeli side on October 7, 2023. In addition, some 130 Israeli hostages remain held in the Palestinian enclave.
Source: BFM TV
