US News Metro Long Island Politics

Sports NFL MLB Olympics NBA NHL College Football College Basketball WNBA

Entertainment TV Movies Music Celebrities Awards Theater

Lifestyle Weird But True Sex & Relationships Viral Trends Human Interest Parenting Fashion & Beauty Food & Drink Travel

Health Wellness Fitness Health Care Medicine Men’s Health Women’s Health Mental Health Nutrition

Science Space Environment Wildlife Archaeology

Today’s Paper Covers Columnists Horoscopes Crosswords & Games Sports Odds Podcasts Careers

Email Newsletters Official Store Home Delivery Tips

Switch between CA and NY editions here.

Eurovision reveals what the world really feels about Israel

See more of our coverage in your search results.

International boycotts, Iranian-Israeli back channels, snubs, accusations and flaming Irish anger.

I’m not talking about the war in the Middle East; I’m talking about Eurovision.

The annual singing competition that took place last weekend in Vienna, Austria, is something like the United Nations, if the delegates were wearing feathers.

Or the Olympics, if the competitors were judged by their country of origin and not their athletic skill.

Americans, if they’re aware of it at all, tend to yawn at this annual parade of subpar musical numbers, but in truth the music is just a distraction.

Eurovision is a fascinating geopolitical battlefield, a singular world stage where rabid nationalism meets unapologetic kitsch.

Swiss Eurovision winner Nemo to send trophy back in protest over Israel’s participation

If it’s not a US war, who cares?, making liberal arts matter and other commentary

Kudos to Eurovision for voting against Israel ban

Each participating country — 35 this year — submits an original song, performed by a local singer or band.

The real show begins when the voting starts, and countries, through panels of judges as well as fans voting from home, get to unleash their lethal arsenal of soft power on one another.

And unleash they do: Scandinavian countries all vote for each other, as do the........

© New York Post