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Content warning: discussions on Gaza, antisemites loving Israeli government (and not its people)
Our political climate still deteriorates and I still fear what might come of me in the next few years if I stay in the United States. Some who live in California have admitted I will not be completely safe there, but I would still find it safer there than other places. Regardless, the conversation of the despotic state of our world — this abhorrent timeline in which we live — must go on.
I recently joined a watch party for EuroVision. I had not paid attention to such for years, but I had just before the watch party started to learn about the potential of events being rigged for publicity of a country. Despite this, I saw many Eastern European and West and Central Asian finalists. Seeing this, I felt torn on whether to watch or not, and opted to do so.
During EuroVision, I noticed Israel earned a very notable, and some even suggested, improbable score from the audience. This unfortunately had me in a moment where I feared all their propaganda, rigging, and attempts to censor any criticism of Benjamin Netanyahu’s regime had prevailed. My frustration for that regime almost led to me saying something during the watch party in front of the children present.
Then Austria pulled through and won despite it all. Despite Austria not being my first choice performance, my heart lifted and I cheered their contestant, JJ, on and looked up information on him. The fact a Central European country won made it worthwhile, the fact JJ came from the Asian diasporas (he is Pinoy/Pilipino as well as Austrian) and had a co-writer of his lyrics come from Serbia a pleasant set of news. Even if my favorite performance came from Albania, I cheered the winner on.
Even more, JJ turned around and said he hoped next year Israel would not participate in EuroVision and said he said something seemed very strange about the televoting. According to reports, Austria did not receive Israeli delegation warmly. People have been censored from talking about the genocide in Gaza, booing happened when the Israeli contestant performed but had been overridden with a pre-recorded applauds, and yet popular votes put Israel from being on the low end of the finalists up to first place. Austria won despite this. JJ also criticized what went on in West Asia regarding Gaza while also condemning violence against Israelis and Palestinians.
People may feel I am being harsh about Israel’s participation in EuroVision. Some may even suggest I have issues with Israeli people. Rest assured, none of this is the case. Quite the contrary: I am having an issue with a government and not its people, of whom are diverse and have their own perspectives on what goes on in their country and beyond.
Israel has many people who oppose what is happening in Gaza no matter what narrative their leadership wants to impose and censor their voices. Protests happen there on the regular that almost never reaches the mainstream news outlets because their current regime has an investment in a united monolith that does not exist at all. E.V. Solanas discusses this in her article on Medium. She also posits how white nationalists, fascists, and Christian nationalists who despise Jewish people in their own neighborhoods love the Israeli state’s current leadership. They like Netanyahu because they see the Israeli ethnostate model an ideal of what they want in the United States regarding Christianity, not to mention these neo-Nazis hope Jewish people can be dumped into Israel and forced to convert to Christianity or be destroyed.
The very bleak, depressing reality regarding Israel and Palestinians is the fact both in their own ways are pawns of a global politic controlled by apocalyptic-minded cultists who wish to push for their tensions. These people are controlling all behind Project 2025, the regime in the United States, and more. It is not the first time a regime or person who actively tries to gatekeep what Judaism is had been a pawn to Nazis. During the history leading up to Kristallnacht, Nazis had used colluders who came from peoples in the very communities they oppressed and sought to eradicate. What the fascists in the American government seek to do with Israeli’s government seems no different to me.
I would really love to keep the politics out of EuroVision discussions, or out of anything involving the rich and vibrant culture within Israel’s borders and neighbors. The unfortunate reality is, though: the regime in Israel does not wish to do so. People readily accuse those who speak truth to power of making everything “too political,” when the reality is many of those same people would enjoy entertainment not made to support apartheids, genocides, and all other crimes of humanity.
When people can stop making entertainment complicit in such atrocities, then we can talk about taking politics out of entertainment. Those speaking out did not bring the politics in the first place. Please be good to yourselves!
—Arya
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