Israel’s Kan public broadcaster has filed an official complaint with Swiss authorities after members of the Israeli delegation were threatened during the opening ceremony of the Eurovision Song Contest in Basel on Sunday, JNS reported.
The incident occurred during the traditional “Turquoise Carpet” event, which marks the official start of the Eurovision week. As Israeli singer Yuval Raphael—who is representing Israel—walked with her delegation, a group of anti-Israel activists was seen waving PLO flags and wearing keffiyehs. One of the activists was filmed making a throat-slitting gesture and spitting in the direction of the Israeli team.
A video capturing the threatening behavior quickly went viral on social media, sparking outrage.
In a statement, Kan said it had requested assistance from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organizes the annual contest, to help identify the individual involved in the threatening incident.
Unlike other contestants, Raphael was accompanied by bodyguards, underscoring the security concerns surrounding Israel’s participation amid widespread protests. Demonstrators throughout the event expressed opposition to Israel’s inclusion in the contest, many of them waving PLO flags.
Raphael, a survivor of the Nova Music Festival massacre on October 7, 2023, will perform the song “A New Day Will Rise”, which was written by Keren Peles and musically arranged and produced by Tomer Biran. She is set to compete in Eurovision’s second semifinal round on Thursday night.
Calls for Israel to be banned from participating in Eurovision due to the war in Gaza have mounted, though the contest’s new executive supervisor, Martin Green, has firmly pushed back against those calls.
During last year’s event in Malmö, Sweden, thousands demonstrated against Israel’s participation amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
The EBU announced before last year’s contest that it rejected calls to ban Israel's participation in Eurovision 2024 because of the war in Gaza.
The EBU made clear at the time that Israel complies with the rules and as such, will take part in the competition.
After the EBU’s announcement that Israel will take part in Eurovision, Iceland’s public broadcaster, RUV, announced it will consider withdrawing from the Contest due to Israel’s participation.