Preparing for the Eurovision Song Contest in 2024 has already begun, but this year's event is already being discussed not only because of musical innovations, but also through a possible political dimension. One of the central figures in this discussion is the Palestinian pop singer Bashar Murad, who expresses the desire to present Iceland at this prestigious music event.
Singer Bashar Murad, who is called the "Palestinian Lady Gaga", whose songs include "intifade on the dance floor", can represent Iceland on Eurovision, which creates a political headache for the organizers. Earlier, the scandal was summoned by the Song of the Israeli singer Eden October Rain about the massacre on October 7. About it writes Daily Mail.
The Eurovision, which attracts millions of viewers, positions itself as a non -political event and can disqualify those who, in his opinion, violate this rule.
However, a man who was called the Palestinian Lady Gaga, whose songs include "intifade on the dance floor", can be a headache for the organizers of the event.
A member of the European Language Union (EBU) stated by the Israeli official that the song of Eden Hollan is “violating the rules of impartiality” because it is dedicated to the massacre on October 7.
Iceland can now be represented by a native of Palestinian Bashar Murad.
This year the competition will be held from May 7 to May 11 in the Swedish city of Malme against the background of protests and boycots due to a continued war in Gas, triggered by Hamas attack on Israel on October 7.
The organizers of the Eurovision Song Contest resisted the calls to exclude Israel from the competition, but stated last week, which carefully studied the application of this country.
Iceland will choose its participant on Saturday, and Murad will participate in the national final with a song written with Einar Stefanson from the Icelandic band Hatari, known to have lifted a banner depicting Palestinian flags during Eurovision 2019.
The 31-year-old Murad has hits such as "Interophaada on the Dance Play", and seeks to present Iceland with his song "Wild West", which tells about the artist's desire for freedom.
However, his music video suggests that it can create a problem for Eurovision organizers because it is filled with symbols of Palestinian resistance.
"I wanted to illustrate how many obstacles to Palestinians have to go to be heard," Murad said Reuters in an interview.
According to the rules of the European Language Union (EBU), which organizes the competition, the EBU member companies choose participants who will represent their countries from all over Europe and abroad.
Russia was eliminated from participation in the 2022 competition due to a full -scale invasion of Ukraine.
Singers of any nationality can participate in the internal qualification of Iceland if they sing their song in the first semifinals in Iceland.
Murad, born and living in Jerusalem, said that it was difficult to learn this song in Iceland, but he noticed some resemblance to Arabic.
When he was asked if Murad wanted to take part in the competition, he replied: "Of course, I do not want my occupier to be there. But my main goal is now - for the first time in history to bring Palestinian voice to the main stage."
The annual competition has won Israel four times, where it is popular and is often regarded as a barometer of the country's international position.
