Israel and Eden Golan advance to Eurovision finals

The 20-year-old pop star will face off against tough international competition — and scrutiny — this Saturday

Eden Golan performs during the Eurovision semi-final. Photo by Getty Images

By Talya Zax May 9, 2024

MALMÖ, Sweden — Eden Golan will keep holding on in this mysterious ride.

Golan, Israel’s 20-year-old representative in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, advanced to the competition’s Saturday Grand Final after performing in the second semifinal Thursday night.

Golan’s performance of “Hurricane,” a ballad initially titled “October Rain” that the European Broadcasting Union, which runs Eurovision, required be rewritten to meet political neutrality rules over its pointed references to Oct. 7, was met with some boos by Thursday’s crowd. But the reception was overwhelmingly positive, with much of the audience clapping along, and cheers often drowning out the acrimony.

A visibly nervous Golan broke out in smiles after Israel was announced as one of 10 countries from Thursday’s lineup to make the final. 11 competitors from the two semifinals, including Malta, Australia, Poland and Belgium, were axed.

“My heart is so full,” Golan wrote on Instagram, after the announcement.

A pro-Palestinian protest broke out in front of Malmö Arena shortly before the evening’s competition began, with riot police making several arrests. Earlier in the day, an estimated 10-12,000 people marched through Malmö in protest of Israel’s inclusion in the competition. But otherwise, an evening that had been anticipated with warnings of potential safety concerns by the Israeli government went off without an apparent hitch.

“Remember that tonight, there is only love in this building,” the first announcer of the night said. “Only love.”

Talya Zax is the Forward’s opinion editor. Contact her at [email protected] or on Twitter, @TalyaZax.

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