Israeli candidate Eden Golan took home 5th place at the Eurovision contest in Malmo, Sweden.
While the mere 52 points that judges awarded Golan would have left her in 12th place, viewers managed to propel the Israeli singer into 5th place by awarding her an astonishing 323 points via televoting.
Israeli media and government officials wasted little time in depicting the fifth-place finish as proof of a burgeoning pro-Israel consensus quietly emerging across the globe.
David Saranga, the Acting Deputy Director of Public Diplomacy at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, seemed to delight in the news as well. “We knew that the situation was less serious than it is reflected in the demonstrations on the streets of Europe, but we did not expect such overwhelming support,” Saranga told Israel’s Ynet, claiming that “the fact that even countries where public opinion is critical of Israel, such as Sweden or Ireland, gave Israel a high score” indicates there are “underground currents” of pro-Zionist sentiment throughout the continent.
“It is true that we, as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, acted among friendly audiences to increase voting,” Saranga admitted. Elsewhere, the Times of Israel acknowledged: “The truth is that there was obviously an organized, dedicated effort by Israel supporters to give their votes to Golan… and it clearly drew votes from many who don’t otherwise tune into the Eurovision each year.”
