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The Israeli organizers of this year's Eurovision feared that some of the competitors, under pressure from the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, might inject politics into their performances.
In the end, however, it was Eurovision's special guest star, Madonna, who used her performance to make a political statement.
In her second song, "Future," sharp eyes could see that one of their dancers turned their backs, one of the Israeli flag, holding hands in a gesture of coexistence.
>> Missiles? BDS? Iran? Forget about them. Israel puts its best face forward in a Eurovision that succeeds in all ways but one
An official Eurovision statement said this was not part of the rehearsals and had not been cleared with the European Broadcasting Union or public broadcaster Kan. "The Eurovision Song Contest is a nonpolitical event and Madonna had been made aware of this," the statement said.
As well as being a poor performer, Madonna managed to violate the EBU's principle of non-political engagement by adding the Israeli and Palestinian flags to the back of two dancers backs. What a waste of money # Eurovision2019 https://t.co/jCsK1YcUq8
– Luke Baker (@BakerLuke) May 18, 2019
When we tried to convince Madonna to boycott #Eurovision with Israeli flag and Palestinian flag in support of co-existence.
– Ariel Sobel (@arielsobelle) May 18, 2019
The singer also raised eyebrows by wearing several gas masks, topped with crowns of flowers.
Jesus, is Madonna mimicking gas masks during her performance in Tel Aviv? Is there anything in Gaza? What is the hell going on with her? https://t.co/QsK2tXfXya
– Hrag (@hragv) May 18, 2019
Madonna and her entourage, which numbered over 100 people, was flown into Israel by Canadian-Israeli billionaire businessman Sylvan Adams, who made the investment hoping that it would increase the positive impact of Israel hosting Eurovision, raising interest in the event in North America .
Adams said last week that Madonna was "a genuine friend of Israel, and she knows firsthand what we are – the lunatics of the BDS world – say is not true. She's well aware about Eurovision and was keen to give it a boost. "
The performance was Madonna's fourth in Israel – she already took the stage in 1993, 2009 and 2012. She has also visited Israel on other occasions in the context of her involvement in kabbala, the Jewish mystical movement, through which she adopted the Hebrew name Esther.
The Netherlands' Duncan Laurence beat out 25 other performers to win the grand finale in Tel Aviv. Israel's Kobi Marimi came in 23rd place.
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