Israeli Eurovision champion Netta Barzilai says boycott calls spread 'darkness'

Celebrities and activists have made continued calls for Eurovision to boycott Israel, but last year's winner Netta Barzilai says that contradicts everything the contest stands for.

Netta Barzilai from Israel celebrates after winning the Eurovision song contest in Lisbon, Portugal.

Netta Barzilai from Israel celebrates after winning the Eurovision song contest in Lisbon, Portugal. Source: AAP

The winner of last year's Eurovision Song Contest has said calls to boycott this year's event in Tel Aviv is simply "spreading darkness". 

Israeli singer Netta Barzilai, who dazzled audiences in Portugal last year with her Me Too-inspired song "Toy", said calls for a boycott went against the purpose of Eurovision.

"Being on the same stage no matter what your religion is - your ethnicity, your colour - from all these countries, all these cultures combined together, this is a festival of light," Ms Barzilai said.

"For people to boycott light is spreading darkness, is doing the exact opposite thing, and that's why I think they might be going against their own beliefs."
Netta Barzilai from Israel celebrates after winning the Eurovision song contest in Lisbon, Portugal.
Netta Barzilai from Israel celebrates after winning the Eurovision song contest in Lisbon, Portugal. Source: AAP
In the lead up to the 14-18 May contest, high-profile artists including Pink Floyd's Roger Waters and British singer Peter Gabriel have called on Eurovision to abandon Israel over the country's treatment of Palestinians. 

Waters has also at the competition. 

Asked whether she would perform for Palestinians, Barzilai said: "I wasn't invited, but if my singing could solve problems, I would go."

Barzilai, 26, declined to comment on Israel's recent elections, which saw right-wing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu win a fifth term.
Israeli Singer Netta Barzilai won last year's Eurovision Song Contest with her Me Too-inspired performance "Toy".
Israeli Singer Netta Barzilai won last year's Eurovision Song Contest with her Me Too-inspired performance "Toy". Source: AAP
"When I will say my political opinion, I will bring hearts apart instead of bringing them together," she said.

Israel has occupied the West Bank since the 1967 Six-Day War.

It has also fought three wars with Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist movement that rules the Gaza Strip, since 2008 and has blockaded the enclave for more than a decade.


Share
2 min read
Published 30 April 2019 11:41am
Updated 30 April 2019 11:49am
Source: AFP, SBS


Share this with family and friends