Israel’s Public Broadcasting Corporation has lodged an official complaint with Swiss authorities after a man made a threatening antisemitic gesture towards Israeli Eurovision contestant Yuval Raphael. The incident occurred during Sunday’s official Eurovision delegation parade in Basel, Switzerland, where this year’s international song contest is taking place.
The individual, reportedly draped in a keffiyeh and holding a Palestinian flag, made a throat-slitting gesture at Raphael and spat at members of the Israeli delegation. KAN, Israel’s national broadcaster, condemned the behaviour as a hate-fuelled act and called on both the Swiss police and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to take swift action to identify and hold the perpetrator accountable.
“This was a public display of hatred aimed squarely at Israel’s representative,” a KAN spokesperson said, describing the incident as part of a growing pattern of antisemitic hostility facing Israeli artists on the international stage.
The threatening act came just days after over 70 former Eurovision participants published an open letter demanding that KAN be barred from sending a contestant to this year’s competition. The letter accused the broadcaster of complicity in what it termed “Israel’s genocide in Gaza”. It criticised the EBU for “granting total impunity to the Israeli delegation,” while allegedly silencing others.
Critics have pointed out that such inflammatory accusations serve to legitimise antisemitic sentiment and endanger Jewish participants. The juxtaposition of such rhetoric with real-world acts of aggression, such as the gesture made towards Raphael, underscores growing concerns about antisemitism being disguised as political activism.
Despite the intimidation and political pressure, Yuval Raphael remains resolute. “I’m 100 per cent focused on the music,” she told The Times of Israel. “There are things that I can control and things that I can’t. The most important thing to me is to bring honour to my country and do the best I can.”
The EBU has previously faced criticism for allowing contributors or delegations to be targeted with hate speech. Jewish organisations and media watchdogs continue to call for greater accountability and security for participants, warning that antisemitism must never be tolerated under the guise of free expression or political dissent.
Photo credit: ORTAL DAHAN ZIV/KESHET 12/VIA REUTERS
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