‘Next Year in Jerusalem!’ In Israel, Eurovision Win Is Seen as a Diplomatic Victory, Too

JERUSALEM — Israel, confronting a host of contentious political and military issues, was struck by a wave of national euphoria this weekend after the country’s contestant won the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday night with a defiant anthem about female empowerment.

Never mind the preparations for the controversial opening on Monday of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, the drama surrounding stolen Iranian nuclear archives or the Israeli strikes on Iranian military targets inside Syria. Many Israelis stayed up till nearly 2 a.m. Sunday to watch the nail-biting finish of the annual international pop competition, which took place in the Portuguese capital, Lisbon.

The win by Netta Barzilai for her #MeToo-themed hit, “Toy,” seemed to ease, at least for now, deep-seated Israeli fears of cultural boycott and isolation.

When the votes came in from around the world and Barzilai’s performance beat songs by rivals from nations like Austria, Cyprus and Sweden many Israelis hailed it as a diplomatic victory and national vindication.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was among the first to get in on the celebrations, echoing Barzilai’s words as he exulted on his Facebook page: “Next year in Jerusalem!”

In line with Eurovision protocol, next year’s contest will be held in the holy city that Israel is battling to have recognized internationally as its capital.

The words “Next year in Jerusalem,” traditionally sung by Jews at the end of the Yom Kippur fast and after the Passover feast, have almost religious significance, with connotations of redemption.

Netanyahu called Barzilai as she stood beaming onstage, telling her that the entire Netanyahu family had been rooting for her and that she was “the best ambassador of Israel.”

Israeli elation could be short-lived, of course. The country is bracing for mass Palestinian marches with the potential for bloodshed along the Gaza border and in other areas on Monday to protest the embassy move, among other issues.

But at least for a while, Barzilai, a pop star with powerful vocals who celebrates difference and is now world famous for her clucking sounds and viral chicken dance, made Israelis feel good.

“I think what’s special about this competition is that people are here for the music and the fun,” said Elad Lahmany, a die-hard Eurovision fan who traveled to Lisbon from his home in Tel Aviv for the competition.

“Nobody thinks about politics I hope,” he said, adding, “I’m glad we were able to show the beautiful side of Israel.”

Netanyahu briefly performed the chicken dance on Sunday, as seen in a Twitter post.

Even sweeter for Israelis, Barzilai, 25, had led Eurovision betting sites for weeks before being edged out by Cyprus’ contestant. The victory was all the more astonishing because she was catapulted into first place by the popular vote after the competition judges from other countries placed her third.

Israel, which is not a European country, first took part in Eurovision 1973. Australia, which broadcast the competition without taking part since the 1980s, has been sending contestants since 2015. Now a global phenomenon made more accessible by video streaming and social media, the competition has fans all over the world.

Israel had won the Eurovision three times before — in 1978, 1979 and 1998 — and has hosted the contest twice at the International Convention Center at the western entrance of Jerusalem. (It passed in 1980 and did not participate in that year’s Eurovision event in The Hague because it fell on Israel’s national Remembrance Day for its fallen soldiers.)

Though the old Eurovision fever had faded here a little over the years, some Israelis said the victory helped bolster, even momentarily, a sense of belonging to a small but plucky country that punches above its weight and has outsize influence in the world.

That image has been tested by international grumbling about the 50-year occupation of the Palestinian territories and the policies of Israel’s current government, including its campaign to expel African asylum-seekers. The Eurovision win may also have even helped soothe bruised feelings after the Israeli-born, Oscar-winning actress Natalie Portman backed out of a major award ceremony in Jerusalem, saying she did not want to endorse Netanyahu and was taking a stand against “violence, corruption, inequality and abuse of power.”

Some high-profile artists protesting the country’s policies toward the Palestinians have canceled appearances related to Israel. And hundreds of actors, musicians and artists critical of Israeli’s actions against Palestinians have endorsed the so-called BDS movement, a pro-Palestinian campaign that calls for boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel.

But Barzilai’s victory comes as an additional lift to a country already riding high on diplomatic achievements. On Sunday, in remarks at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said: “These days, Jerusalem is being blessed with many gifts. We received another one last night with Netta’s thrilling and suspenseful victory. The gift is that Eurovision will come to Jerusalem next year; we will be very proud to host it.”

If next year’s Eurovision is held, as planned, in Jerusalem, it will further burnish Israeli ambitions at a time when many of the 28 member states of the European Union have been pushing back against the United States’ decision on Jerusalem.

By midday Sunday, fewer than half the 86 foreign ambassadors and chargés d’affaires invited to a celebratory reception at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the eve of the embassy opening had confirmed their attendance. The only European Union members among them were Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Romania.

The Trump administration’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and the opening of the embassy on Monday have upended decades of U.S. policy and bucked the international consensus that it prejudged the outcome of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations about the future status of the contested city.

Nevertheless, Netanyahu and his conservative Likud party are soaring in the polls after reaping credit at home for Trump’s withdrawal from the international deal to curb Iran’s nuclear program, which the hawkish Israeli government vehemently opposed.

And last week, shortly before Israel’s overnight raid against Iranian targets in Syria, Netanyahu spent nearly 10 hours in Moscow in the company of President Vladimir Putin of Russia and was filmed by his side as a guest of honor at the annual parade marking the World War II victory over the Nazis.