The Israel advanced to the finals of her singing competition yesterday Eurovision – which will take place tomorrow in Malmö, Sweden – and today Eden Golan with the song “Hurricane” is in the top three bets.

In spite of yawning in the arena and mass protest rallies taking place in recent days against the war in Gaza, Israel is among favorite for the final win – behind Croatia and ahead of Switzerland – according to betting comparison platform Oddschecker.com.

“I am so grateful to everyone who voted for us and supported us,” said the Israeli singer. “It’s really an honor to be here, on stage, to perform and show our voice, to represent (Israel) with pride.”

Mass protests and heightened security in Malmö

Almost 12,000 peopleincluding climate activist Greta Thunberg, demonstrated yesterday in Malmö (south) against Israel’s participation.

“This year we are doing full boycottCecilia Brundel, 31, said. News is scheduled for tomorrow concentration.

“There should be protests, people should have their say, people should boycott,” said Magnus Bermark, participating with the Gåte group representing Norway, which, like eight other participants, has called for a permanent ceasefire .

The representatives of some countries had initially thought of boycotting the competition, but did not follow through.

The security measures were reinforced in the venue as in the rest of the city, home to Sweden’s largest Palestinian community.

For the safe conduct of the competition, extras have been transported police force from the rest of Sweden, as well as from Denmark and Norway.

“There is no threat to Eurovision,” however, a police representative assured.

“Black” from Flemish TV

The unions of the Flemish public TV channel VRT temporarily stopped the feed last night to broadcast a message of support for the Palestinians.

“This is union action. We condemn the human rights violations by the State of Israel. Furthermore, the State of Israel is destroying the freedom of the press. For this reason we are temporarily interrupting the broadcast. #CeaseFireNow #StopGenocideNow,” was the message that appeared on television receivers in Dutch, against a black background.

However, “Hurricane” was played without interruption, with Eden Golan singing in front of the 9,000 spectators at the Malmö Arena.

Inside the venue, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which is responsible for the competition, banned as usual any flag other than those of the competing countries as well as any banner with a political message.

“The EBU is taking all the necessary precautions to make this place safe and united for everyone,” Eden Golan, who was the target of threats on social media, said after the semi-final.

Israel Eurovision

The neutrality of the competition was compromised on Tuesday during the first semi-final when Swedish singer Erik Saade appeared wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh on his arm.

A move regretted by Swedish state broadcaster SVT and the EBU, which had banned Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky from delivering a message at last year’s competition.

100,000 visitors are expected

For Eurofans — the city expects up to 100,000 visitors tomorrow — “it’s what happens on stage that’s important: the performances, the artists and the music, not the politics,” said Andreas Enerfors, a professor of the history of ideas. and Eurovision expert.

With a history of almost 70 years, this competition is “a demonstration of European tolerance that we do not find in other forms or in other places”, he emphasized.

Within Malmö’s Jewish community, some are considering going out of town for the weekend.

“With Eurovision, things have somewhat intensified. The climate of insecurity has intensified since October 7, many Jews are worried,” said community representative Fredrik Sierandski. However, according to him, the various pro-Palestinian demonstrations did not give impetus to the voices aimed at the city’s Jews.