Israel PM Netanyahu Sends Eurovision Entry Good Luck Video Ahead Of Semi-Final, Amid Protests

Eurovision 2024 nearly pulled out of the song contest, just 25 minutes before the live final.The grand final of the competition took place in Malmö, Sweden – the home of 2023 winner Loreen – on Saturday May 11. However, the show was mired by widespread political backlash over the inclusion of Israel amid the Hamas-Israel conflict.Many of the contestants, including Ireland’s Bambie Thug and UK representative Olly Alexander, faced pressure to boycott the event in solidarity with Palestine.

Ari Emanuel this week demanded Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu be ousted, condemning him for not seeking more peaceful solutions to the war in Gaza following Hamas’ horrific Oct. 7 attack on the Jewish state.“Israel will never be truly secure with Bibi Netanyahu in charge,” the Endeavor Group Holdings CEO said while accepting an award Wednesday from the Simon Wiesenthal Center.“For the good of Israel, he should go,” added Emanuel.The shocking remarks threw both applause and boos from attendees of the Beverly Hills gala, and some walked out as Emanuel was accepting the Jewish organization’s Humanitarian Award, its highest honor, according to the New York Times.“Netanyahu doesn’t want a peaceful solution,” said Emanuel.

Bambie Thug, this year’s Irish Eurovision entry, has announced a 2024 UK and European ‘Crown The Witch’ tour.Bambie, who placed 6th in this year’s competition with their showstopping performance of ‘Doomsday Blue’, is now set to tour around the UK and Europe.They will kick off at Brighton’s Chalk in August, before making their way through Manchester’s Gorilla, Glasgow’s King Tuts and London’s Heaven in September. Bambie is also due to visit cities such as Amsterdam, Paris, Berlin and Stockholm.

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel called for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and declared that Benjamin Netanyahu’s rule must end in order to achieve lasting peace for Israel. Emanuel’s remarks came Wednesday night as he was honored by the Simon Wiesenthal Center with its humanitarian Award at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. The divisiveness of the Israel-Hamas war that began Oct.

Ari Emanuel tonight left no ambiguity of what he thinks about Benjamin Netanyahu.

President Joe Biden condemned by the move by the International Criminal Court to seek arrest warrants against Israeli leaders, saying that there was “no equivalence” between that country’s actions and those of Hamas.

The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor has said he is seeking arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and some leaders of Hamas.

Eurovision this year “until the last second”.This year’s song contest has seen multiple controversies arise in the build up to the finale, which aired last Saturday (May 11).On top of the shock disqualification of Dutch entry Joost Klein, Eurovision organisers the EBU (European Broadcasting Union) had faced significant criticism for the inclusion of Israel amidst the Israel-Palestine crisis.Additionally, there were reports of a “crisis meeting” between four countries and the EBU just hours before the finale was due to begin. These four countries were later revealed to be the United Kingdom, Portgual, Ireland, and the eventual winner of this year, Switzerland.Now, Norway’s entry Gåte have spoken to Norwegian media about their own threat to pull out.

Eurovision entry Iolanda’s video was reportedly replaced with previous footage due to “pro-Palestine motifs” on her nails.Last night’s contest saw Swiss entry Nemo crowned as its first nonbinary winner in a year marked with controversy due to the EBU’s struggle to enforce its political neutrality clause. This was especially notable in the inclusion of Israel this year, due to their role in the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict.

Switzerland has won the 68th Eurovision Song Contest, which took place Saturday evening in Malmo, Sweden.

Eurovision entry Slimane has interrupted his own rehearsal performance to give an unexpected speech about “peace”.During rehearsals today, Slimane made a surprising change to his song ‘Mon Amour’, where he replaced his a capella section with a speech about “peace”.Footage of the performance shows the French-Algerian singer saying: “When I was a child, I dreamed of music. I dreamed about this dream – to be a singer, to sing about peace.

Eurovision entry Joost Klein.Earlier today, the news of Klein’s disqualification was shared by Eurovision organisers, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). He was accused of making verbal threats towards a female member of production crew, according to police.

Eurovision's Bambie Thug was moved to tears after learning that Israel had secured a spot in the grand finale of the Eurovision Song Contest.

Olly Alexander, the former Years and Years singer, has been urged by fans to withdraw from the Eurovision Song Contest just hours before he is due to represent the UK on stage.

The Netherlands will not be represented in this evening’s Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final after their artist Joost Klein was disqualified.

The fate of The Netherlands’ Eurovision entry lies in the balance, after the Dutch representative failed to perform in Friday evening’s jury final.

Eurovision contestant Joost Klein has been disqualified from the contest after being accused of making verbal threats towards a female member of production crew, police have said.Klein was placed under investigation by the organisers yesterday (May 10) due to an “incident” and was not allowed to perform his song ‘Europapa’ during the final dress rehearsal.A police spokesperson confirmed the incident took place after Klein’s performance on Thursday night at the Malmö Arena where the contest is being held.The EBU, which organises the contest, said in a statement: “The Dutch artist Joost Klein will not be competing in the Grand Final of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.“Swedish police have investigated a complaint made by a female member of the production crew after an incident following his performance in Thursday night’s Semi Final. While the legal process takes its course, it would not be appropriate for him to continue in the Contest.“We would like to make it clear that, contrary to some media reports and social media speculation, this incident did not involve any other performer or delegation member.“We maintain a zero-tolerance policy towards inappropriate behaviour at our event and are committed to providing a safe and secure working environment for all staff at the Contest.

Eurovision 2024 entrant Joost Klein has been placed under investigation by the contest’s organisers due to an unexplained “incident”.The singer was not allowed to perform his song ‘Europapa’ during the final dress rehearsal in Malmö, Sweden on Friday (May 10), and it is currently unknown whether he will be able to perform in the grand final on Saturday (May 11).The European Broadcasting Union said in a statement: “We are currently investigating an incident that was reported to us involving the Dutch artist. He will not be rehearsing until further notice.“We have no further comment at this time and will update in due course.”Klein’s most recent public appearance was during the flag parade at the start of the Friday rehearsal, but he did not appear during his performance slot approximately 30 minutes later.Klein is scheduled to perform in the fifth slot in the ceremony, one place before Israel’s Eden Golan.

Eurovision final following days of protests in support of Gaza.Eden Golan, Israel’s entrant in the songwriting competition, qualified for the final following a public vote. Her win into the final came shortly after thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered in the streets of Malmö, Sweden, where the contest is being held, to show their support for Gaza.The singer was booed during dress rehearsals and was booed again, this time with a mix of cheering as well, during the semi-finals on Thursday (May 9).

Eurovision Song Contest presenter Rylan Clark has been praised by fans for seemingly taking a stand amid the controversy surrounding Israel's participation in the singing competition.