2024-03-15 20:38:28
Jerusalem-born Palestinian artist Bashar Murad lost out to singer Hera Björk to represent Iceland at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. He, by the way, was the main favorite of the competition, writes The Times Of Israel.
Murad, who took the stage last night in a white jacket with red patterns and an embroidered broken heart, presented his song “Wild West” at the selection, but, being one of the two “super finalists,” eventually lost to Björk’s song “Scared of Heights.”
His song, he stated, is “about longing for freedom of movement” and includes the lyrics “I’m on the road again, how did it come to this? / Don’t know where I’m going, but I’m looking for eternal bliss.” The video for this song actively uses the colors of the Palestinian flag.
After his speech, Murad said on air that it seemed strange to him “to celebrate here while my people are being exterminated.”
“I hope that I can continue to tell the story of Palestine and the Palestinians,” he said.
Israel’s participation, meanwhile, hangs in the balance as public broadcaster Kahn and Eurovision organizers are locked in a standoff over the lyrics of the Israeli song. The EBU, according to media reports, disqualified the track for being too politicized.
Previously, Cursor wrote about the scandal due to the anti-Israeli position of the British representative at Eurovision. Read on for new details.
In addition, it became known about the only participating country that stood up for Israel.