The Politicization of Israel and Eurovision
These past four months, I’ve gotten the chance to be immersed in Israeli culture and to see dimensions and sides of Israel which I wouldn’t have been exposed to any other way. I’ve developed a connection to and an appreciation for Israel that I truly think can only exist from physically being here and experiencing the culture first hand. However, despite my recent growth and love for Israel, before spending four months in Israel I had completely different ideas about what my time in Israel would look like. I viewed Israel more for its political connections than for its cultural offerings, and I believe this political association with Israel is widespread among the western world. This misconception, I believe, is because of the hyper-politicization of Israel in western media; so much of what Americans see of Israel solely has to do with its politics, and although Israel’s political conflicts and complexities definitely should and deserve to be talked about, they are not all that Israel has to offer. This heavy focus on Israel’s politics by the western media is incredibly worrisome, especially as someone who just spend four months studying what Israel has to offer culturally in addition to its politics.
One European cultural event called Eurovision recently took place in Israel. Eurovision bridges so many political and social divides across Europe; it is known to be an event where countries put aside their politics and come together for the sake of music. Even countries that have deep political rifts, like Russia and Ukraine, come together for this apolitical music competition. Eurovision has been associated with this peaceful and unifying message for years. However, because the Eurovision took place in Israel this year, it attracted much attention from BDS and from those who don’t support Israel politically. Quickly, simply because the Eurovision was held in Israel this year, the discussion around Eurovision went from being about music and peace (as it has been in years prior) to being about Israel’s politics and conflicts. BDS and other anti-Israel groups spoke out against European countries participating in Eurovision this year simply because it was held in Israel, and they even succeeded in this mission with some countries. Other countries, like Iceland, attended Eurovision, participated in the competition, and held up Palestinian flags during their performance. Even Madonna, who wasn’t representing any country in Eurovision sported a Palestinian flag in her performance, against the rules of the competition.
It is completely fine to disagree with Israel’s politics or political policies (considering there is valid evidence to back up this disagreement), but taking Eurovision and making it political solely because Israel was a part of it actually takes away from the other cultural elements which Israel has to offer to the world. Viewing Israel solely for its politics is extremely worrisome, and it contributes to false ideas and associations with Israel from communities around the world. If the global community knew about some cultural elements of Israel, like their aid of syrian civilians in the midst of their civil war or Israel’s attitude towards its memorial day (Yom Hazikaron), the world might view Israel in a different light.
Last year, when Israel won Eurovision, the world was introduced to Israeli culture through Netta’s performance and Israelis’ love and support for their country in the music competition; however this year, Israel’s cultural place in the world was blurred by the fact that the world can’t seem to focus on any element of Israel except for its political connections and conflicts, which is only one part of a bigger Israeli picture. If the world took this opportunity to paint a fuller picture of Israel, including politics and more, maybe the world wouldn’t view Israel in such a one-dimensional light.
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