Sawt Falasteen - In Tel Aviv, Eurovision fans hope world shows Israel some love

The mood was electric at the packed Layla bar in Tel Aviv as the show got underway, with the crowd going wild when Israel's contestant Eden Golan appeared on screen, jumping up and down and waving Israeli flags.

With her long lavender-streaked hair and matching nails, Golan performed her tune wearing a white chiffon gown billowing in the artificial wind and smoke filling the stage.

If Israel were to win, it would mean that "maybe we are not hated so much, and that the music really won", said Tal Bendersky, draped in an Israeli flag.

The 23-year-old from southern Israel told AFP he had come to Layla, which prides itself as "the best gay bar in Tel Aviv", "to celebrate with all the people that love the Israeli people".

"Hopefully in the end, we will celebrate as much as we can, when she will hopefully win."

A win for Israel would mean "we are loved in the world, and we have support of the world", Yarden Arak, 33, told AFP.

- Among favourites -

Israel ranks with Croatia and Switzerland as one of the bookmakers' favourites to succeed Sweden and take home the colourful and kitschy competition watched by more than a hundred million people.

But a win by Israel could be a stretch, given the fierce controversy that has surrounded its participation in this year's edition of the competition as it continues to bombard and besiege Gaza.

The war started with Hamas's unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel that resulted in the deaths of more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

Militants also seized hostages, of whom Israel estimates 128 remain in Gaza, including 36 who the military says are dead.

Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 34,971 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry.

Before the competition began, police in the host city Malmo said at least 5,000 people were demonstrating in the streets outside the venue.

Golan's song "Hurricane" is an adaptation of an earlier version named "October Rain", which she modified after organisers deemed it too political because of its apparent allusions to the Hamas attack.

The EBU -- which oversees the event -- confirmed in March the participation of Golan, despite calls for her exclusion from thousands of musicians around the world.

More recently, nine of the acts, seven of whom are finalists, have called for a lasting ceasefire in Gaza.

Shortly before she took to the stage, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz hailed her in a post on X, formerly twitter.

"Eden proudly stands against immense hatred and anti-Semitism. Tonight, let's show all the haters who's leading the way!" he wrote.

- 'We deserve it' -

And in Tel Aviv, hopes remained high, with many dismissing the protests, saying the demonstrators did not understand what Israel was going through since Hamas's attack sparked the war.

"No one feels what we feel... They don't know the facts, but it's okay," said Victoria Shishko, a 33-year-old Tel Aviv resident born in Ukraine.

"We know the truth and we will survive," she told AFP, voicing confidence that Israel could win the contest.

That would show "that people really love us and they believe us and they stand with us", she said.

"We deserve it. We are kind and good people and we hope to win."

Others said they felt bad for Golan.

"I can't imagine what Eden is going through," said Alec Snyder, a 29-year-old Tel Aviv resident born in Los Angeles.

"Given the drama... I really hope Israel wins. I'm rooting for us tremendously," he told AFP.

"It's going to be tough, but we have a wonderful song, and I am sure we will do really well tonight."

B.Mahmoud--SF-PST