Eurovision 2019: ASIE: Israel/Palestine Conflict.

My coverage of the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest has already developed an introduction and required reading section.

Which can be found here; https://watchitdie.blogspot.com/2019/05/eurovision-2019-and-so-it-ends.html

This year's Song Contest was held in Tel Aviv, capital of Israel. As such there was never going to be any prizes for guessing that the main political topic was going to be the Israel/Palestine Conflict.

Rather than being an embarrassment everyone was trying to avoid this was the main reason why the 2019 Song Contest was held in Israel.

To give the Eurovision nations the opportunity to protest Israel's behaviour in that conflict. A protest Israelis would not only be forced to see, one they would be forced to pay for.

In addressing this topic I should start by reminding everyone that in 2015 Europe experienced the migration crisis. This saw upwards of 1.5 million Arab Muslims suddenly flood into what are not are traditionally non-Arab, non-Muslim European nations. Ostensibly as refugees from the war in Syria.

As a result the main theme of the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest was how best to integrate this large number of Arab, Muslim migrants into their new homelands.

With everyone knowing what the topic would be in advance this led to an incredibly sophisticated Song Contest. Not only did themes emerge between nations a sort of lingua franca, bridging language, emerged. Allowing nations to discuss different aspects of the topic in, actually, rather a lot of detail. For a song contest.

Despite its reputation Israel is far from an exclusively Jewish state. Only around 75% of the population. The other 25% are Arabs of various religions, most predominately Muslims.

One of the main drivers of support for the creation of a Palestinian state amongst Israeli Jews is a fear that the Arab population is growing faster than the Jewish population. Creating a concern that the Arab population will soon exceed Israel's Jewish population.

Israel's Arab, Muslim population is far, far higher than any other Eurovision nation. Nations such as Albania and Azerbaijan may be Muslim majority. However they are not Arab Muslim nations.

Unlike most Eurovision nations though Israel seems to have absolutely no interest in integrating its Arab, Muslim population. Instead they seem to be actively trying to exclude the Arab, Muslim population. Leading to comparisons between Israel and South Africa under the Apartheid system.

So at the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest Israel emerged as a valuable example in the discussion over how best to integrate Arab, Muslims into society. A prime example of how not to go about it.

The aspect of how Israeli Jews try to exclude Arabs from society which was particularly relevant to a televised song contest was the issue of language. Specifically how foreign TV shows and movies are translated for a domestic Israel audience.

Typically this involves the TV show or movie being dubbed into Hebrew, the Jewish language. While Arabic subtitles are provided for, largely speaking, non-Jewish viewers.

This is obviously extremely frustrating for parents taking young children to see movies aimed at them. Children so young they can't read in either Hebrew nor Arabic.

In January 2016 one Arab parent, Kamal Nasser from Tira, became so frustrated by this he decided to take matters into his own hands. Purchasing cinema versions of US children's movies, dubbing them into Arabic and organising screenings for other parents of Arabic speaking children.

Unfortunately I've not had the time to seek out a progress report. However Mr Nasser's efforts could certainly be aided by the liberal American Jews who supposedly control Hollywood.

By making sure that children's movies dubbed into Arabic were more easily available in Israel. Or by making it cheaper and easier for Mr Nasser to have the movies dubbed himself.

Due to this language issue many of the nations at the 2016 Song Contest were represented by artists with a lot of experience of dubbing foreign movies into their native language.

This was particularly true of  Sergey Lazarev who represented Russia. He was very much billed as; "The Russian Zac Efron." Due to the fact that he provides the Russian voice to characters pretty much every American movie shown in Russia. Notably Zac Efron's character Troy Bolton in the "High School Musical" franchise.

Since 2016 Israel has gone even further in its efforts to exclude Arabic speakers. In July 2018 the Israeli Parliament (Knesset) adopted, as a constitutionally significant Basic Law, the; "Israel as the Nation State of the Jewish People" bill. Commonly referred to as; "The Nation State Law."

Amongst other provisions The Nation State Law declares Hebrew to be the only official language of Israel. Relegating Arabic to mere special status. In contravention of the 1948 Israeli Declaration of Independence which established Arabic as an official language. Sharing equal status with Hebrew. 

In light of The Nation State Law Sergey Lazarev represented Russia again at the 2019 Song Contest. Bringing with him his body of work dubbing American movies and its implications for Israel's treatment of its Arab population.

Belarus were also represented by Zena. She provided the voice for the lead character in the Russian language version of the Disney children's movie; "Moana."

When it was released in America the movie Moana was widely celebrated for casting Hawaiian actress Auli'i Cravalho in the role of the Polynesian Princess. A major step for the Disney Corporation which was a passionate supporter of Adolf Hitler in the 1930's.

The celebration of Moana very much stemmed from the almost cult of diversity and inclusivity which sprung up amongst the vicious and divisive racial politics of former US President Barack Obama.

Having Zena as; "The Russian Moana" very much trolled that cult. Polynesians and even Native Americans can trace their roots back to Russia. Meaning that casting Zena in the Moana role is arguably more ethnically sensitive then casting Auli'i Cravalho.

It's certainly more knowledgeable. Russia being a far larger country than US National Security Adviser John Bolton seems aware.

The main message of Belarus' entry being that Ukraine will adopt the Minsk Protocol in full. And they will; "Like It."

The Minsk Protocol being drawn up by the; "Normandy Four" which purposefully excluded former US President Obama. Who was clearly intent on nothing but vicious racial division.

Israel: This year they were represented by Kobi  Marimi. With the song; "Home."

On the surface of it the song is just a love letter to Israel as the homeland of a Jewish man. Referencing being able to; "Feel the (desert) sun upon my skin."

Somewhat controversially it also implied the Golan Heights are part of Israel; "I've been running barefoot to the mountain tops // I can hug the water when it snows." A lot of people probably don't realise that there are ski resorts in the mountains of the Golan Heights.

The Syrians, whom Israel annexed the Golan Heights from in 1967, clearly are aware of it. The rockets they fired over the Golani Mount Hermon ski resort just on June 1st (1/6/19) suggests they would very much like it back. A move the Israeli song doesn't seem wholly opposed to, suggesting; "Nothing comes as easy as it goes."

Aside from the Golan Heights issue the song's notion of Israel as the homeland of a Jewish man raises a wider point in the Israel/Palestine Conflict.

The solution to the conflict which has been long endorsed by the United Nations and the wider international community is known as; "The Two State Solution." This would see the two semi-autonomous, Arab majority regions of Israel become the nation state of Palestine. It will sit alongside the nation state of Israel.

One barrier to this has come from the Palestinian side. They refuse to recognise Israel as a nation state. Instead demanding that Israel eradicated and replaced with a nation of Palestine, "From the River to the Sea."

This attitude is particularly prevalent amongst European and American leftists. The sort of people who want to see the deserts of the Golan Heights returned to the Palestinian people.

In taking that position these leftists are being far more extreme than many of the Palestinians themselves.

Hamas, for example, do not currently recognise the nation state of Israel. However in 2017 even Hamas gave up any territorial claim over the geographic area which is generally considered to be within Israel's 1967 borders.

That demand for a single, Palestinian state may have been viable when the state of Israel was created in 1948. Since then though many generations have passed and things have changed.

Israel has compulsory military service. With very few exceptions all Israelis are conscripted into the military at age 18. The recent collapse of the Israeli government ostensibly stems from a dispute over the military service exemption granted to Ulta-Orthodox and Haredi Jews.

The Israelis being conscripted this year simply do not remember the 9/11 Al Qaeda attacks on America. There is no way for them to. Many of them were simply not born in 2001.

Much of the population of Israel is like this. They were born in Israel. To parents who were also born in Israel. To grandparents who were also born in Israel. It is only their great-grandparents who emigrated to Israel from somewhere else.

If you're talking about Israel being eradicated to make way for a single Palestinian state what you're suggesting is exterminating or forcibly displacing some 8 million people from the only country they've ever known.

That is something which is completely morally indefensible. Particularly if you're demanding it to show that the forcible displacement of around 800,000 people back in 1948 was wrong.

At around 17:20 on 3/6/19 (UK date) there's still so much to add.

Edited at around 20:05 on 2/6/19 (UK date) to copy & paste from another window;

Through his mere existence Israel's singer challenges the popular myth of Israeli Jews as European invaders of Arab lands.

Kobi Marimi is Jewish. However he is also Arab. If you were to deport him from Israel to the land of his great-grandparent's birth he'd only end up going as far as Iraq.

The "Jewish Home" motif is also a joke of at the expense of European and American leftists who claim to support the Palestinian cause. These people only claim to support the Palestinians for their own selfish reasons. As a result they actually seem to know very little about the topic.

For example they all despise Benjamin Netanyahu. Who, at the time of writing, is still Israel's Prime Minister. This hatred of Benjamin Netanyahu seems to stem from the fact he is the only Israeli politician they know about.

It must be said that many Israeli Jews seem view the world in a rather unique way. They see the world as divided into Jews and non-Jews, the "Goyim" of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.

Provided you are Jewish even the Israeli far-right is still pretty left of centre. Much of Israel's agriculture is still done on Kibbutzim. Which are Anarcho-Syndicalist in structure.

The mystery has always been why Israeli Jews can't extend those very tolerant liberal, left-wing attitudes to non-Jews.

Netanyahu and his Likud Party are actually very firmly a centre-right party. That means they are slightly to the right of the centre ground. For Jews the Israeli centre ground would still be considered left-wing extremism in America and most European societies.

You wouldn't believe that though listening to the protests of American and European leftists.

According to them Netanyahu is a religious extremist and fascist. Worse even than Adolf Hitler and D.F Malan, the South African Prime Minister who introduced apartheid.

As always in democracies the main issue with Netanyahu's governments are the attitudes of the electorate.

Particularly the section of the Israeli electorate who keep voting for the United Right. A coalition of three far-right, Zionist parties Netanyahu's Likud needs to rely on to form a governing coalition in the Knesset.

The most prominent party in the United Right coalition is; "The Jewish Home Party," an Orthodox Jewish, Zionist party. They are certainly the member of the United Right who are easiest to reference in a three minute pop song.

If you want to embarrass American and European leftist supporters of the Palestinian cause. Ask them to name the other parties in the United Right coalition.

With American and European leftists being completely unaware of the United Right and associated parties it fell to the Israeli Song Contest entry to protest them. I think it's fair to assume much of Israel's Eurovision delegation voted for Benny Gantz's Blue & White coalition.

This protest mainly came in the form of the fact that Kobi Marimi is from the town of Ramat Gan (Garden Height). This is a satellite town of Tel Aviv which has become known as Israel's diamond capital.

Any mention of Tel Aviv or its satellite towns immediately challenges the myth of Israeli Jews as European invaders of Arab lands.

Tel Aviv was founded in 1909 while the area was under the control of the Ottoman Empire. Long before British Mandated Palestine and the Balfour Declaration of 1917. Significantly before the end of the Second World War and the creation of modern Israel in 1948. Ramat Gan itself was founded in 1921.

Tel Aviv was founded by the Ottoman Empire. Not as Israel's capital but as a Yiddish speaking city.

This was a significant development in the so-called; "War of the Languages." Beginning in the late 19th Century these were attempts by ultra-religious, Zionist Jews to revive the Biblical language of Hebrew as a spoken language of common use amongst Jews.

The War of the Languages really escalated in the period between the end of the Second World War and the creation of Israel. It will probably surprise you to learn that this language war was fought not between Jews and Arabs. But between Jews themselves.

Ramat Gan was a significant holdout against Tel Aviv's demands that all Jews speak Hebrew. They continued to speak Yiddish, a rival Jewish language. Even publishing a daily newspaper in Yiddish.

So the ultra-religious, Zionist terorist Jews attacked Ramat Gan. Blowing up its Yiddish printing press.

That piece of history allows Israel's Eurovision delegation to nod at ultra-religious, Zionist parties such as of the United Right coalition. Along with their Nation State Law which imposes Hebrew above Arabic as the official language of Israel.

As a way remind everyone that of course they're opposed to them.

When it comes to Hebrew those religious extremists have been oppressing people for nearly two hundred years. Many of them other Jews.

At around 20:15 (UK date) there is still so much more to come.