The director of Israel’s delegation to the Eurovision song competition this year says that Israel’s low placement in the finals over the weekend was no accident.
While Israel has, in the past, won first place in the annual European competition 3 times since it began in 1956, this year the Israeli entry placed at only 23 out of 26 entries of competing countries - a fact which the director attributed to pressure from the BDS movement in Europe.
Yoav Tzafir, who directed Israel’s entry “I feel alive” performed by Imri Ziv, said there was “no doubt” that BDS pressure had influenced the low placement.
“There’s no doubt that BDS is very strong in Europe, and tries hard to influence - so that they won’t vote for us, so that they will give us zero points.”
“We will continue to be good and represent Israel honorably,” he said. “We will do the best we can.”
Following the campaign of anti-Israel activists in recent days calling for “zero points for the song of Israeli apartheid at Eurovision!” spokesman of the radical-left group “Gush Shalom” Adam Keller praised Israel’s low placement.
“The Israeli government continues every year with new plans for how to suppress and trample the Palestinians, how to build more settlements and make new racist laws,” he said. “They shouldn’t be surprised that those who determinedly oppose this suppression prepare every year new plans to broaden and increase the struggle.”
The winner of this years competition was the Portuguese entry “Amar Pelos Dois” performed by Salvador Sobral, followed by the Bulgarian entry in second place and the Moldovan entry in third.