Eurovision Contestant's Reaction To Israel's Eden Golan Causes A Stir

Greece's Eurovision contestant was filmed yawning during remarks made by her Israeli competitor, sparking criticism online.

Marina Satti, from Greece, and Eden Golan, from Israel, were being interviewed on a panel in Malmö, Sweden, ahead of the song contest's final on May 11.

Satti could be seen yawning during Golan's answers, before curling up and appearing to nap on the table.

The singer's behavior has gone viral online and sparked mixed reactions from people online.

Miha Schwartzenberg, who shared the video on X, formerly Twitter, wrote: "An embarrassment for Greece and for every decent Greek person. Pretending to fall asleep while the Israel's contestant is speaking is not just bad education or pure jew-hatred, but also a stain over the Greek nation she represents in front of the world."

Fellow X user Nioh Berg wrote: "While 20 year old Eden Golan was being interviewed, 38 year old Marina Satti decided to behave like a petulant child. Embarrassing and immature."

"Full of jealousy and completely pathetic," said Vivid, while @devilsfan6666 called Satti a "brat."

However, others defended the pop star, dubbing her a "queen."

"Love her," wrote @kinanisms.

"I don't think she was being jealous," said Emily Santanberg. "It looks like she was up all night partying and was genuinely knackered. Know how that feels."

There has been a growing campaign in recent months to bar Israel from the Eurovision Song Contest over its ongoing military campaign in the Gaza Strip. Organizers removed Russia from the competition in 2022 following its invasion of Ukraine. However, Eurovision has ignored calls to remove Israel from this year's event, explaining in an FAQ that the country has "met all the competition rules" to participate.

The current conflict between Israel and Hamas began on October 7. The Palestinian militant group launched a surprise attack on southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking around 240 people hostage. Israel subsequently fired airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, where Hamas is based, before launching a ground offensive into the territory in late October.

According to the Associated Press, who cited Gaza's Health Ministry, 34,800 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began—although the Health Ministry does not differeniate between combatants and civillian casualities. And 80 percent of Gaza's 2.3 million population have been displaced by the fighting, while the U.N. says that around 300,000 people are experiencing "full-blown famine."

Golan's dress rehearsal performance of her track "Hurricane" was booed by Palestinian supporters in the crowd on Wednesday, although she also received cheers. Advocates have headed to Malmo to protest Israel's involvement in the competition, including Swedish climate change activist Greta Thunberg.

Update 05/10/24 11:43 a.m. ET: This article has been updated to include further information on Eurovision and the Israel boycott calls.