Israel sends its internal security chief to Eurovision due to fear of attacks Television

The shadow of war once again looms over Eurovision, which celebrates its 68th edition this week. Israeli officials have warned about the risk to their citizens from taking part in the contest, whose final will be held on Saturday in Malmö (Sweden), which they consider a center of anti-Israel protests. In any case, the degree of danger is kept at level 3, moderate. The National Security Council issued an alert on Thursday, May 2, recommending that they “reconsider the necessity of travel.” The Israeli government is aware of the growing international unpopularity of its role in the Gaza war, where its occupation troops have killed more than 34,700 Palestinians since October. According to several Israeli media reports this Tuesday, a delegation led by Ronen Bar, the head of Shin Bet, the Israeli internal security service, traveled to Malmö last week to monitor the situation in view of potential threats.

Organizers are also concerned and have warned everyone accessing the facilities that they will not be able to display any flags other than those of participating countries or the rainbow flag representing the LGTBIQ movement. This is a message aimed specifically at those who intend to fly the Palestinian flag, as has already happened in the previous edition. This notice is also valid for posters, clothing or any other symbol that expresses support for any cause deemed political. Beyond this potential conflict of banners or demands, Swedish police have been deployed in a special way in response to pro-Palestinian protests on the streets or even calls for a possible jihadist attack.

The atmosphere in Malmö is tense, admits Avi Zaikaner, a 38-year-old Israeli fan who is a regular at the festival. Zaikaner reached this Swedish city with his three other friends on the 1st, a day before the notice issued by his country. “We feel more pressure in Malmö than in other places because of the possibility of terrorist attacks. There is a good presence of police there. The atmosphere is sadder than ever, especially compared to last year in Liverpool,” the photographer, who lives in a kibbutz near the city of Haifa in northern Israel, highlights during a telephone conversation. “At the moment, everything is calm and we feel safe,” Zaikaner says.

The failure of an effort to boycott Israel at the contest, which in recent editions was successful against Russia for invading Ukraine, was followed by threats of protests and riots that can occur these days, especially on the side of the Palestinian cause. In. In 2022, not only was Russia banned from participating, but the invader country Ukraine won the contest. No one can celebrate this on the streets of a war-torn and curfew-stricken country.

This year, the Israeli candidacy also had to abandon the lyrics of the first song with which it wanted to compete because it contained explicit references to the ongoing war conflict, something that the grounds do not allow in a festival that tries to avoid controversies and commitments. Does at international level. After an earlier request by Israeli public television, the European Broadcasting Union (EUR), the event’s organizer, accepted amendments to the song performed by 20-year-old Eden Golan. However, this decision was not without months of controversy surrounding the competition. According to the report of Israeli television channel 12, the young woman is accompanied by a special security team.

Golan will finally perform the song hurricane instead of October rain (October Rain), with which their country’s officials intended to compete and which despite initial reluctance agreed to modify. No one doubts that many of the song’s Hebrew phrases reference the war that broke out in the country after Hamas killed about 1,200 people in Israeli territory on October 7. The military response has already killed more than 34,700 people in Gaza, sparking protests around the world even as efforts are made to reach a ceasefire.

The singer, who wears the yellow ribbon symbol of kidnapped hostages in Gaza on her Instagram profile, shies away from controversy when asked about possible protests during these days and explains that she tries to unite people with her music. Going to do. “It depends on each person what to do. They have the right to make their voices heard, but I am focused on what I do, which is to offer the best interpretation,” he told Reuters agency. Golan did not participate in the opening Eurovision ceremony on Sunday night. Instead, he participated in Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremonies with Sweden’s Jewish community.

Israel in his travelogue clearly describes the warnings about the environment its citizens may face. “Malmö (which has a high concentration of Syrian, Lebanese, Iraqi and Iranian immigrants) is known As a center of anti-Israel protests, which occurs weekly and often includes incitement, calls to attack Jews and Israelis, and flag burning. It is noteworthy that on October 7, anti-Israel elements had openly celebrated the massacre carried out by Hamas in Israel.

Furthermore, “In Malmö, in recent months, there has been an increase in calls from global jihadist and radical Islamic elements to carry out attacks against Western targets, including focused threats against Israelis and Jews around the world, ” the note reminds. the arrest of a terrorist cell in that city in March.

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