Eurovision 2024 Grand Finals: Israel Places Fifth Overall, Receives Highest Number of Maximum Scores

Despite protests, calls for boycotts, threats to safety, and intensified scrutiny, Israel's Eurovision Song Contest 2024 finalist, Eden Golan, placed fifth in the grand finals in Malmo, Sweden, on May 11, 2024.

Golan had everyone's eyes on her when she performed the controversial "Hurricane," a revised version of "October Rain."

Notably, Israel received the most number of maximum scores for any country competing in Eurovision 2024.

Fourteen countries plus the "Rest of the World" have given Israel the maximum score of 12 on the televoting system, garnering a total of 323.

However, Croatia still won the televoting because it received a total score of 337, despite only getting 12 countries giving them a maximum score.

The Times of Israel reported that Israel did not receive the maximum score of 12 from any country from the jury voting, but it received eight from Cyprus, Norway, and Germany; five from Estonia and Belgium; four from Lithuania; three from Malta, Moldova, Georgia, and France; and two from Latvia.

Switzerland's Nemo earned the most number of maximum scores on the jury voting, with 22 countries giving the country their maximum score.

"Wow, I don't know where to start. It is a huge privilege that I am here and that I had the opportunity to represent our country, especially in moments like this, and that I represented the country and was the voice for everyone who needs to be sent home now," Golan said in a statement as quoted by The Jerusalem Post after she arrived to Israel from Sweden. "And I got to represent everyone who has fallen. Thank you, I felt everyone's love and support. Just thanks."

Following her participation in the competition, Golan has faced a barrage of death threats and safety concerns. The decision by the European Broadcast Union (EBU) to permit Israel's participation in the 2024 contest sparked widespread controversy, leading to protests and calls for boycotts of the show.

The backlash against Golan intensified as she became a focal point of the controversy surrounding Israel's involvement in the Eurovision Song Contest. Her involvement in the competition made her a target for individuals and groups opposed to Israel's policies and actions. As a result, Golan has had to contend with heightened security measures and personal safety risks, as well as the emotional toll of facing such intense hostility and animosity.

The Independent has reported that over 10,000 pro-Palestine protesters have shown up in Malmo, Sweden, the host city of Eurovision 2024, to protest Israel's inclusion in this year's events amid the country's war against Palestine in the Gaza Strip.

Tags

Israel, Eurovision, Eurovision Song Contest