About 200 million human beings in Europe and throughout the world will view the final Eurovision event taking place this year in Tel Aviv, with 41 participating countries. And thousands of tourists are in Israel for the popular Eurovision Song Contest 2019. The Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation — which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would love to eliminate — worked hard this past year to try to produce the most splendid, impressive, and largest event in the history of Eurovision, which was founded in 1956. The grandiose semifinal show May 14 adopted the competition’s motto, "Dare to Dream," and even persuaded Madonna to sing at the finals. Madonna’s recruitment to the artistic part of the competition was made possible by the donation of $1 million by Israeli-Canadian millionaire Sylvan Adams and half a million dollars more by another philanthropist who wants to remain anonymous.
In its desire to present artistic power, Israel is making a statement to the world: that the country is not what you thought. It certainly does not resemble what you see on television news broadcasts about Gaza or the West Bank.