Israel's Eurovision delegation accuses rival artists and teams of "hatred"

"This year, the Israeli delegation faced immense pressure and an unprecedented display of hatred, notably from other delegations and artists, publicly and collectively, solely because of the simple fact that we are Israelis and that we were there," it said.

"However, throughout the journey, the delegation maintained a dignified and respectful approach towards artists and other delegations, striving to foster unity around music while adhering to the competition's rules, unlike some other delegations."

Israel's Eurovision delegation accuses artists of "hatred"

The statement from the Israeli broadcaster comes days after other delegations publicly complained about the behaviour of the Israeli delegation.

Magnus Børmark, the guitarist for the Norwegian band Gåte, criticised the security arrangements for Israel, saying that they didn't always feel peaceful.

"It seemed as if there was one set of rules for Israel, another for the rest," Magnus said. "There is something wrong when you experience it. The artists should not have to have a crisis meeting with the EBU."

We still don't know what was discussed at that crisis meeting. But we do know that the Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS lodged a complaint with the EBU about an "unsafe environment" prior to their act being disqualified. They did not say which country or officials fostered that environment. 

The Dutch team also accused Israel's delegation of filming them and sharing clips online without their permission.

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In one widely circulated video, an Israeli news anchor is seen filming members of the Dutch team even after a security guard asks him to stop. 

On Monday, in their first statement since the conclusion of this year's event, the EBU confirmed that it's going to reflect on the ongoing crisis and that the Eurovision Song Contest Reference Group will evaluate individual cases. The EBU said:

"We regret that some delegations at the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) in Malmö didn't respect the spirit of the rules and the competition both onsite and during their broadcasts.

"We spoke to a number of delegations during the event regarding various issues that were brought to our attention."

"The EBU's governing bodies will, together with the heads of delegations, review the events surrounding the ESC in Malmö to move forward in a positive way and to ensure the values of the event are respected by everyone.

"Individual cases will be discussed by the event's governing body, the Eurovision Song Contest Reference Group made up of representatives from participating broadcasters, at its next meeting."

Separate to questions regarding the behaviour of delegations, the Dutch broadcaster and representatives from RTP — the Portuguese broadcaster — have taken issue with the EBU's use of fake applause when hiding the booing of the Israeli contestant. They say this distorts reality.

Nicolau Santos from RTP said: "For an organization like the EBU, and for an organization like RTP and the European public media service whose flag is the fight against fake news, misinformation, and information manipulation, it is unacceptable that this is possible. Using this method distorts reality."