BDS is trying, and apparently failing, to hurt Israel’s chances of winning the Eurovision song contest.
By: United with Israel Staff
The anti-Israel BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement has failed in its campaign to vanquish Netta Barzilai, Israel’s contestant in the Eurovision song competition.
Anti-Israel activists called on European residents to boycott the Israeli song and award it zero points. The Eurovision’s scoring system is based on an equal number of points awarded by judges and the contest’s viewers from participating countries.
The campaign’s Facebook page, titled “Eurovision boycott of Israel – ZERO points to the song of Israeli Apartheid,” made the outrageous claim that Barzilai, who served in the Israeli navy’s choir in 2014, sang to soldiers who later participated in a nonexistent “massacre” of Gazan children during Operation Protective Edge.
“The gunboat crews whom Netta Barzilai sent off with her songs played a part in the Gaza carnage,” the Facebook page alleged.
“Remember the children murdered in Gaza and give zero points to Barzilai, her song and the apartheid state which she represents,” the campaign said.
The campaign also called on the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to expel the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation, which they allege is “deeply complicit in Israel’s oppression of the Palestinian people.”
So far, the campaign has gained a mere 580 supporters, making its effect negligible.
The Eurovision final, held in Lisbon, Portugal, is slated for Saturday. Barzilai, with her song “Toy” about women’s empowerment, is considered a favorite to win the competition.
BDS previously launched similar campaigns against Israeli Eurovision contestants.
The BDS movement promotes financial, academic and cultural boycotts of Israel, ostensibly as a nonviolent protest against the so-called “Israeli occupation.” Critics say its activities are a modern form of anti-Semitism and that its true objective is to destroy the State of Israel.