Jerusalem-born Tali Golerant surprisingly reached the final of the Eurovision Song Contest (ESF) in Malmö, Sweden, on Tuesday evening. 23-year-old Tali will represent Luxembourg in the final on Saturday evening.
That can be called surprising, because at the betting offices she was in 24th place and only twenty countries participate in the final and are chosen through the semi-finals. This is joined by the host country Sweden and five ‘major’ European countries that do not have to qualify: Germany, France, Italy, the United Kingdom and Spain.
Israeli representative Eden Golan will play in the second final on Thursday evening. The betting houses award her a place in the top 10. Golan is under heavy security due to anti-Israel demonstrations in Malmö, a city notorious for its anti-Semitism. Experts see the large number of Muslim immigrants as the main cause of this anti-Jewish racism.
Eden Golan spends almost all her time in her hotel room and will only leave it for the performances on the ESF stage itself. She is forced to miss press opportunities in the city and contact with other participants. There are fears of an attempt on her life. The Eurovision organization has said it will not accept political protests during the festival. Palestinian flags and keffiyas (‘Arafat scarves’) are not allowed in the hall. Eden Golan has said that everyone has the right to demonstrate, but that she wants to unite people with her music.
Tags: Israeli reaches Eurovision Song Contest final ahead Luxembourg
