2024-03-08 10:10:00
Moshe Detz (Flash 90 photo/ Tomer Neuberg) This year, the 20-year-old singer Aden Golan from Tel Aviv was chosen to represent Israel in Eurovision 2024, which will take place this May in Malmö, Sweden, and everyone is hoping and waiting to hear the song that will be chosen, if it is chosen it depends to a large extent on us in the face of political constraints From the creator of the European factory. Will Eden represent us on the biggest stage in Europe? A good question that sounds like a paradox or a bitter joke since she herself does not know what the chosen song is – and will only find out after the approval of the European corporation. In an interview without gloves, Ice blasts politicians and even President Herzog Moshe Detz, the singer, composer and producer who represented Israel in Eurovision 1991 with the song “Kan” and defends Israel’s right to represent in Eurovision with quite a bit of sharp self-criticism.
As a long-time participant in the European enterprise, aren’t there moments when Israel needs to repent of its honor and tell itself that this time it will not send a representative to Europe, when in the world media Israel appears in the context of an intifada in the territories, a war in Lebanon or the collapse of negotiations for a political settlement or like now in the war in Gaza?
“I remind everyone that this is not our party, we are not in Europe, we are in Asia, we have been honored for many years. We participate in the biggest European party. I never understand this question – why Israel should participate or not participate. I only remind that – 46 countries participate and everyone wants to participate, there are countries that have never won and participate every year. These are 3 minutes that make the country happy and if it succeeds in all of Europe then even better. I think that first of all in a year like this it was important to send a song that speaks to us and not a political song or a song Let him talk about the war. I think he should have sent a song that strengthens. A song like together all the way, together there is no other way. A song of togetherness that doesn’t complicate us but does strengthen us from the inside because that’s what we need right now.”
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Basically what you are saying is that all the mobilization of the politicians in favor of the cause is unnecessary and harmful?
“I say this is not our competition and these are the rules and I don’t really understand the president who intervened and that minister who tweeted. How would we feel if the president of Norway, who does not want Israel to participate, would call and appeal to the European Union? It is not the role of politicians and not the role of the president. People They tell me, ‘But we folded.’ We have achievements, but for many years we have been trying to reach the World Cup, are we successful? No, but it gives us the pride of belonging to this cultured nation. Why do we always have to look? This is something that should have been internal to the Broadcasting Authority and we made it a national issue. Why? ”
We don’t make it to the World Cup because we don’t have the ability, and here we have the ability, but everything is politics and anti-Semitism all around:
“But we have the ability and we are appreciated for that. There are countries that do not want us to participate, and this body stands for us for Israel to participate and we actually received the gift to participate. It is a gift and we are not Europe, we are Asia. Jordan and Lebanon also want to participate but on the condition that Israel does not participate. Europe is ready lose other countries so that we will participate again this year and why are we even getting into this situation? It’s a song and there should be a song. We were smart and it’s not that we didn’t send songs in the past, we sent Chai who says in his own words on stage in Munich, at every press conference they saw us in yellow and stuck the It’s in the eyes. We were yellow without the yellow patch. We didn’t call the song “Here I Live” so they wouldn’t see it as politics and we called it “Here” so they’d think it was a city in Europe. The words were the most political like “I don’t have anywhere else in the world, I opened a door for my neighbors and whoever comes I’ll say hello to him. This is my home, this is where I was born, I have no other place in the world. We got along with that too.”
In other words: did you get smart and stack up?
“As soon as we were asked political questions, I canceled the press conference. If I’m sitting in front of an Italian station and they ask you one political question, then I say I’m not ready to talk about politics because I’m a singer and I came to a song contest and it ends at that moment. You can do things differently.”
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Does the young and talented Eden Golan have to absorb all this heavy burden at such an early stage in her career?
“It always happens, even with us they ran on stage and came naked so what – Eden will have to deal.”
Will she be able to deal with a possible interruption in the performance of the song by a spectator (happened twice – in 2010 and 2018)? How will she cope with criticism or stings from the audience or members of the judging team from hostile countries and will she be able to withstand a low score whose entire purpose is to humiliate Israel, and completely regardless of Aden’s abilities?
“It’s a difficult year, yes there will be difficult questions and I’m sure Aden will be able to handle it or her delegation and they did a good preparation and they don’t have to be interviewed either.”
The question is whether to stick with national pride and insist on presenting a song that highlights the Israeli narrative for the events of October 7 (even if by implication). A song that we can spread through a variety of means to the wider world, and tells our story. And to say: Yes, we have principles and we will not sell them for fleeting and fake fame?
“I don’t agree with you, why do we need to stand on the seventh of October? Why do we need it, it’s not a speech – it’s a song contest, why do we need it? It has nothing to do with the Israeli narrative and we didn’t bend or anything. We knew in advance that it was a contest It’s clear that it’s political and people vote politically, but what does it matter – it’s the competition, we didn’t bend down and we didn’t go down. We didn’t have to climb any trees in advance.”
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No matter how we look at it, politics has always been part of the competition and when Europe doesn’t like Israel, it makes sure to show it with a hangman’s coldness and fake European politeness. Are you suggesting we just put up with it and grind our teeth all over again?
“There will always be politics and Scandinavian countries will always vote for the country of Scandinavia and Greece and Cyprus will support each other and that is natural and fine.”
When Israel is at war, this might not be interpreted as national folding in the international arena and in such a prestigious position?
“Is this collusion? There is no collusion here and certainly nothing national. You are magnifying something that is not there. This crisis should have been at the level of the Broadcasting Authority and not at the national level. It should not have come to a situation where the president of the country intervenes and when it becomes a national event and it is important to note that this is not a status of the Israel Prize and absolutely not. Those who talk to Israel and ask to change the song are not politicians, this is not our party and we do not set the rules, we are ready to play the Europeans’ game according to the rules and that is perfectly fine. If they are not ready that is also fine.”
Are you saying that you should be smart and not unjust in this case because there is only something to gain from this enterprise?
“To be smart and also to be right. For years, Arab policies such as Jordan want to join this party as well, who want to participate on the condition that Israel does not and Israel participates and Jordan does not. Egypt wants to participate and they don’t let her because Israel participates and Lebanon does not participate until she had to move the broadcast until we won and even after we were elected she It stopped broadcasting. That is, the Europeans are losing money because of Israel’s participation. They are not profiting and they stand by us, the European Broadcasting Union stood by us this time, so why turn them into enemies, not everyone against us. We think it is a national mission to poke everyone in the eye. I think it is a national mission To participate in a party in Europe to sing a song that will do us all good to send a beautiful postcard of Israel that is not related to Gaza or to the deaths or to the wars or to anything else but to the competition. We didn’t fold because we didn’t have to go up there in advance.”
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