Excerpt from the music video for "Hurricane" by Aden Golan, Israel's song for Eurovision 2024/here 11
Sweden's ambassador to Israel, Erik Olnag, held a special event this evening (Thursday) at his home in Herzliya Pituach, ahead of Eurovision 2024 which will be held next month in Malmö, Sweden, where he hosted Israel's representative for the competition, Aden Golan. The event also hosted several other representatives of the country for Eurovision in the past - singers Ilanit and Dafna Dekal and songstress Shmarit Or.
The evening opened with a speech delivered by Ambassador Olnag. "My sincere condolences for October 7 and the last few months," he said, "my thoughts tonight are with the abductees. Trying to understand what happened on October 7 and the horrors is an impossible thing for me. My thoughts tonight are also with the people in Gaza, the citizens who are suffering there. As someone who comes from Sweden, Medina which has been at peace for 200 years, it is very difficult to understand what is happening to Israel. In these tragic times, you must know that Sweden and the European Union have stood up for Israel's security. But you also have to find ways to build peace."
What kind of reception awaits Aden Golan in Malmö? What we hear in Israel is very stressful.
"Look, of course the situation is tense all over the world. The Swedish police take it very seriously. Unfortunately, there will be a lot of security arrangements, the kind that Israel is more used to than Sweden. The police are doing what they can to secure. From my side and from Sweden, we want to say welcome To Aden and all the other contestants, and we hope this will be a Eurovision where we can celebrate music."
Most Swedes are pro-Palestinian or are there other voices in Sweden?
"I think there is a broad debate in Sweden right now. It is complex. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is internal. I would say that support for Israel after October 7 is very strong. But also many people in Sweden want a ceasefire. Like in many countries, the issue is controversial. If you, Like me, you are in favor of the two-state solution, so you are both pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian."
Aren't you afraid of being criticized in Sweden for this event and for this hug you are giving Israel's Eurovision representative, Eden Golan?
"We congratulate Aden. She was chosen to represent Israel. All the chosen representatives are welcome. I think she should be judged by her music. Many Swedes want to see Eurovision as a music competition, which is a big thing in Sweden as it is in Israel."
You did not answer the body of the question. Are you afraid of criticism of you in Sweden for this event?
"I follow the policy of the Swedish government, according to which everyone can compete, and we do what we can to maintain security. Of course, I have a position where I am criticized from all kinds of sides. I honestly feel that we need a peace process after this and a two-state solution, and on the other hand The Swedish government is very clear in its position that we will never accept anti-Semitism from within Sweden."
The singer Ilanit, who represented Israel twice at Eurovision, including the first contest with Israel's participation in 1973 with the song "Somewhere", expressed in a conversation with Walla Tarbut her concern for the safety of Aden Golan. "Terrorist threats have existed since the competition in which I represented Israel," she says. "People are stressed for a good reason. We saw the article on News 12 about what's happening there on the street. It's not the Swedish people anymore. Malmo has become a city made up entirely of foreigners. I only had two guards, and surely there will be a serious ring around Eden. I suggest she just go on stage , to ignore whistles or shouts if there are any, to continue singing to the end and to feel good. If she will only be positive, that's all, and that we want only good things. She has no choice, she has to go up and do her thing A professional singer with a wonderful voice. I heard that she has already reached the seventh place in the betting, so let's see
, there is a security concern. At first I thought she shouldn't travel, because we haven't had a situation like this before, because the people are in mourning and we are very sad and I don't know if this is the time. But on second thought, I thought quite the opposite, that you should travel and see that the music here rules and that the beauty rules here and that there are good things and that we continue to live here."
The songwriter Shmarit Or, who wrote the song "Hallelujah" that won the 1979 Eurovision Song Contest, said at the Walla Tarbut event that she did not like the fact that the European Broadcasting Union disapproved the first version of Aden Golan's song, which was first called "The Rain of October". "My feeling is that the European Broadcasting Union's criticism of the first version of the song was neither respectful nor embracing. This is a representative of Israel, a country that has been leading in this competition for many years. I don't think the first version of the song had more political hints than the current version. So what if it was The word 'October.' And they bent our hands and that's disrespectful."
By the way, in Sweden, Nathanala lived in the country for a long time, and the classic she wrote and performed, "Song of the Dove", is unfortunately a little less suitable for these days.
"I don't know. They contacted me today and told me that they were setting up a big project of the Song Forest in Petah Tikva and asked me to choose a song that would represent me. It's terribly difficult. 'Hallelujah' seems to be self-evident, and I actually came up with the 'Song of the Dove'. Right now. She flies, and she can't find a place."