Not a big Israel enjoyer here, but here's why some of this rubbed me the wrong way (and probably a lot of others, possibly why Israel did so well in the televote)
-The reason most Jews in America and Israel don't live in Europe anymore was not a decision we made. The Europeans protesting this and booing this may well have had ancestors that participated in those pogroms.
-Nobody said sh**t about Azerbaijan's participation. There were no pro-Armenian protests outside their contestants hotel, Laki didn't post incessantly about the topic, etc. That naturally leads me to ask "why do people care more about Palestinians than Armenians"?
I suspect I'll be crucified for this take, but I've never gotten a good answer on either of these counts.
You're absolutely right re Azerbaijan
The reason why Israel is different to Azerbaijan when it comes to this specific case and this specific year though is that Israel blatantly sent a young woman to sing an initially political song that had to be modified and she was flanked by the usual Likudnik strong men harassing and barracking anyone who merely breathed in her direction. Everything about Israel's participation was about the endless PR war that parallels the real one back home. It's just so nakedly cynical that in my opinion they should be left home, like a child that can't behave. Azerbaijan can behave.
But I would really like Laki to do a five page thread on the Tigray genocide. Not holding my breath though.
I completely agree, but the main argument among many of the protesters (certainly on the internet) wasn't "Israel is behaving like a petulant child, why are we allowing this", rather, it was an argument focusing on Israeli human rights violations.
If one is going to use that argument, it's only natural that one inquire why it is being applied selectively.
