This week's events have thrown Israelis into emotional turmoil. The American decision to relocate its embassy to Jerusalem on May 14 triggered large-scale demonstrations on the Israeli-Gaza border. Over the past few days, live media broadcasts kept switching from the Jerusalem ceremony to the riots in Gaza, with breaks to focus on Israel winning the Eurovision Song Contest.

Tens of thousands of people celebrated Israel’s Eurovision win at Rabin Square in Tel Aviv May 14. But while the winning singer Netta Barzilai appeared on stage, some Israelis saw the celebration as inappropriate given the tensions in the south, where the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) were busy fending off the attempts of thousands of Palestinians to breach the border fence, killing over 60 of them.

“I’m not sure that a day in which people were killed on the Gaza border is appropriate for Eurovision celebrations. For your consideration, Netta Barzilai,” tweeted television personality Amnon Levi, angering many. Prominent among the many furious online responses were refrains of the national narrative defending IDF soldiers and assertions that those trying to break through the fence were asking for it and that Hamas is responsible for their deaths. Many commenters wrote that Israel should celebrate its victory, showing that life goes on despite the events at the Gaza border.

A wish for normalcy and escapism enable Israelis to persist in a country rife with terror attacks, wars and tension. Aya-Lev Hashilo of Tel Aviv, who participated in the event at Rabin Square, admits to escapism. “I don’t watch the news out of principle,” she told Al-Monitor. “The news only shows what’s wrong here and thus I didn’t really know about the events [in Gaza]; a friend just updated me here at the square. It made me feel bad, but I don’t see the connection between the celebration at the square and events in Gaza. We should be happy about winning the Eurovision and we can process the other things separately. Netta Barzilai as a personality represents a positive spirit and I prefer to focus on this and not on the bad things.”