BASEL, Switzerland (AP) 鈥� Most contestants at the are seeking as much publicity as possible.
Israel鈥檚 Yuval Raphael is keeping a low profile.
The 24-year-old singer has done few media interviews or appearances during Eurovision week, as Israel鈥檚 participation in the pan-continental pop music competition draws protests .
Raphael is due to perform Thursday in the at the contest in the Swiss city of Basel. Oddsmakers suggest Raphael, a survivor of Hamas鈥� Oct. 7, 2023, attack on a music festival in southern Israel that started the war, is likely to secure a place in Saturday鈥檚 final with her anthemic song 鈥淣ew Day Will Rise.鈥�
has competed in Eurovision for more than 50 years and won four times. But last year鈥檚 event in Sweden drew large demonstrations calling for Israel to be kicked out of the contest over its conduct in the .
The Oct. 7 cross-border attacks by Hamas militants killed 1,200 people, and roughly 250 were taken hostage into Gaza. More than 52,800 people in Gaza have been killed in Israel鈥檚 retaliatory offensive, according to the territory鈥檚 health ministry.
About 200 people, many draped in Palestinian flags, protested in central Basel on Wednesday evening, demanding an end to Israel鈥檚 military offensive and the country鈥檚 expulsion from Eurovision. They marched in silence down a street noisy with music and Eurovision revelry.
Many noted that Russia was after its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
鈥淚t should be a happy occasion that Eurovision is finally in Switzerland, but it鈥檚 not,鈥� said Lea Kobler, from Zurich. 鈥淗ow can we rightfully exclude Russia but we鈥檙e still welcoming Israel?鈥�
Others have criticized hostility toward the Israeli contestant. Israel's public broadcaster KAN complained to Swiss police about an alleged threatening gesture made toward Raphael by a pro-Palestinian protester during the opening Eurovision parade on Sunday.
German Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer told parliament on Wednesday that 鈥渢he boycott calls, the threats, also the verbal attacks on the singer from Israel, who herself only survived Hamas鈥� mass murder at the Nova music festival because she hid under corpses, are from my point of view an intolerable scandal.鈥�
Last year, Israeli competitor Eden Golan received boos when she performed live at Eurovision. Raphael told the BBC that she expects the same and has rehearsed with background noise so she won't be distracted.
鈥淏ut we are here to sing and I鈥檓 going to sing my heart out for everyone,鈥� she said.
Anti-Israel protests in Basel have been much smaller than last year in Malmo. Another protest is planned for Saturday in downtown Basel, 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) from the contest venue, St. Jakobshalle arena.
But concern by some Eurovision participants and broadcasters continues.
More than 70 former Eurovision contestants signed a letter calling for Israel to be excluded. Several of the national broadcasters that fund Eurovision, including those of Spain, Ireland and Iceland, have called for a discussion about Israel鈥檚 participation.
Swiss singer , who brought the competition to Switzerland by told HuffPost UK that 鈥淚srael鈥檚 actions are fundamentally at odds with the values that Eurovision claims to uphold 鈥� peace, unity, and respect for human rights.鈥�
At Wednesday鈥檚 protest, Basel resident Domenica Ott held a handmade sign saying 鈥淣emo was right.鈥�
She said the nonbinary singer was 鈥渧ery courageous.鈥�
鈥淚f Russia couldn鈥檛 participate, why should Israel?鈥� she said.
The European Broadcasting Union, which runs Eurovision, pointed out that Israel is represented by broadcaster KAN, not the government. It has called on participants to respect Eurovision鈥檚 values of 鈥渦niversality, diversity, equality and inclusivity鈥� and its political neutrality.
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Associated Press journalists Hilary Fox and Kwiyeon Ha in Basel and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.
Jill Lawless, The Associated Press
