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Netta Barzilai after winning last year's contest. PA Images

Eurovision winner says people calling for Israel boycott are 'spreading darkness'

There have been widespread calls for a boycott of this year’s event both in Ireland and abroad.

THE ISRAELI SINGER who won last year’s Eurovision Song Contest has said calls to boycott this year’s event in Tel Aviv amount to “spreading darkness”.

Netta Barzilai described the contest as “a festival of light” and claimed that those opposed to the contest being held in Israel may be “acting against their own beliefs”.

“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,” Barzilai told journalists in Jerusalem.

“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,” she added.

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

There have been widespread calls for a boycott of this year’s event both in Ireland and abroad.

In Ireland, the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign has been campaigning for a boycott with musicians like Christy Moore and former contest winner Charlie McGettigan among those who have been supporting this approach.

RTÉ has said that it will not sanction any member of staff who doesn’t wish to travel to Israel for next month’s contest, which takes place over two nights on 14 and 18 May

In the UK, Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters and singer Peter Gabriel have called for this year’s contest to be moved to another country. Waters has also called on Madonna to abandon plans to perform at Eurovision.

Israel earned the right to host this year’s Eurovision when Barzilai won the 2018 contest in Lisbon with a song called Toy that was inspired by the #MeToo movement.

Speaking on stage in Lisbon after the win, Barzilai had called for the 2019 contest to be held in Jerusalem.

“I love my country, next time Jerusalem,” she declared.

Jerusalem previously hosted the contest in 1979 and 1999 but Tel Aviv was chosen as this year’s venue by the European Broadcasting Union.

Both Israel and the Palestinian Authority claim Jerusalem as their capital and the status of the city has long been disputed.

- With reporting by © -AFP 2019

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    Mute Melanie
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    Jun 11th 2016, 12:41 PM

    They are great apps but if it’s a life or death situation and you have to take out your phone and open an app and watch videos and read pages how to save them that’s valuable seconds wasted….
    Everyone should do a first aid course every few years no matter what, would save more lives !!! Technology can’t save everyone !!

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    Mute Tony_Kilduff
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    Jun 11th 2016, 12:58 PM

    Kids should learn first aid in school instead of some of the other useless crap they are taught.

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    Mute Lily
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    Jun 11th 2016, 1:15 PM

    Many do. In TY my daughter learned CPR and how to use a defibrillator.

    She went swimming in a lake yesterday * a local hotspot for teens. No life rings are there or lifeguards but a young lad of non Irish decent jumped into the water and couldn’t swim. He kept going under, all the teens (about 20) weren’t sure if he was acting the maggot. Anyhow my daughter jumped in and dragged him the the edge of the lake then roared at him for jumping in if he can’t swim and told him to get out. *she has never done lifesaving classes but is an ok swimmer, she would have been able to do cpr if needed. But this lake is 4 mile from town and they have to cross two fields to get to it. He could have made a deadly decision had all the teens not been there.

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    Mute Bunny Johnson
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    Jun 11th 2016, 1:56 PM

    In TY year it’s too late and not everyone dies TY. We did it into scouts around 12 odd. It’s simple snd potentially life saving.

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    Mute Get Lost Eircodes
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    Jun 11th 2016, 2:17 PM

    Yea useless crap like religion…

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    Mute Tony_Kilduff
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    Jun 11th 2016, 5:10 PM

    There’s always one on every article… Yawn

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    Mute Cormac Flanagan
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    Jun 11th 2016, 11:46 AM

    I wear a road id bracelet all the time with medical and next to kin details. Also have all the same details as my screen saver for the phone. While it may be extreme I sure It would help if I ever am in an accident.

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    Mute Rusty Balls
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    Jun 11th 2016, 12:33 PM

    I have… one or two health issues, and have to take a lot of medication. I was given a present of an SOS pendant by a relative a few years ago, these also come in bracelet format I believe, and have the medical symbol on them, when opened they contain a small piece of paper on which you write all your medical information, which in my case is a lot.
    A few years ago I was chatting to a paramedic in the back of an ambulance as he was bringing me from one hospital to another and he happened to remark on this pendant. He pointed out that in any emergency situation he might look for one on my wrist, to see if I have a cardiac issue, if I’m epileptic, diabetic etc. but he won’t waste time trying to open one of these pendants or one of the USB types and then go looking for a computer to read it on. I now have one of the bracelet types.
    As that paramedic said, in any emergency situation they won’t waste time saying ‘where’s his phone I want to check his apps, you never know’. If you have an illness help them out, make it obvious for them.

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    Mute Frank Higgins
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    Jun 11th 2016, 1:56 PM

    Very interesting comment Rusty Balls. Help them help you.

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    Mute Jon Coll
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    Jun 11th 2016, 4:04 PM

    The ICE can be set up on any phone using android or os. So set up your contact and even if your phone gets lost and some non thieving good willing person can ring it and get it back to you hopefully.

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