Israel has many friends, Pedro Sánchez’s Spain very few

Anyone who still believes that the Eurovision Song Contest is a music festival where songs from different countries compete to determine the best one is either naive or ignorant. In this festival, the quality of the song is barely considered, the extravagance of the performance carries a bit more weight, but what truly earns points for a top spot is the good relations each country has with the other participants.
 
This year’s Eurovision was no exception and left us with a clear lesson: Israel enjoys the sympathy of most countries, while Pedro Sánchez’s Spain has earned the antipathy of nearly all. It’s no surprise, then, that Spain finished third from last (24th out of 26 participants), only surpassing modest Iceland, which always does its own thing, and tiny San Marino. In contrast, this year’s winner was Austria, with Israel taking a strong second place. By the way, Ukraine also enjoys widespread sympathy, as reflected by its respectable ninth-place finish.
 
But what happened with Spain this year to perform so poorly? The blame doesn’t lie with the performer, Melody, nor with her mediocre song, nor with her staging (just another in the crowd). The blame falls squarely on Pedro Sánchez and his government, determined to politicize everything, including this festival.
 
During the semifinals, RTVE commentators criticized Israel over its military conflict with Palestine and even called on the organizers to stop inviting Israel to participate. The festival organization issued a reprimand, threatened sanctions for violating the event’s rules, and told them to refrain from political comments. Far from staying silent, RTVE presenters, when Israel’s turn came, displayed an on-screen message stating, “In the face of human rights, silence is not an option. Peace and justice for Palestine.” (Curiously, the state broadcaster, RTVE, has never criticized the crimes and atrocities committed by Palestine, meaning that for Pedro Sánchez’s government, silence is an option—one used hypocritically and selectively.)
 
Well, there’s a Spanish saying (how wise popular culture is!) that goes: “Don’t want broth? Here, have two bowls!” Translated into Eurovision terms, it means: “Don’t like Israel? Well, now we’ll give Israel more votes than it deserves, and we won’t vote for you, so you’ll sink to the bottom of the leaderboard! For being foolish and dragging politics into this!” And so it was: Israel finished second, and Spain languished in third-to-last place.
 
The president of the Community of Madrid (who never holds back against the excesses of Pedro Sánchez’s “dictatorship”) stated: “RTVE, in this gala, is by far the most hijacked by the shameful politicization of everything public under his government. A symptom of weakness and decline.” She added, regarding the hypocrisy of this government: “We’d love to see those pulling stunts at Eurovision about Israel say something about terrorism or the execution or imprisonment of homosexuals in Muslim countries.”
 

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Israel: The endless war

From ancient times to the present day, Israel has been a theater of conflict, a land where the struggle for control, identity, and sovereignty has been constant and, often, violent. Understanding how Israel has managed to be a nation at war throughout the centuries requires examining a series of historical, religious, geopolitical, and cultural factors.

Ancient and Religious History
Israel's history dates back to biblical texts, where it is described as the Promised Land for the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The biblical narrative recounts tales of wars between the Israelites and neighboring peoples like the Philistines, Moabites, and Ammonites. This religious legacy has deepened the Jews' connection to the land, providing a historical and spiritual justification for their presence there, but it has also sown the seeds of conflict with other religious groups claiming the same sacred territory.
 
Empires and Conquests
Israel, or Palestine as it was known under various rulers, has been a battleground for many empires. From the Assyrians to the Romans, through the Persians, Greeks, Macedonians, and finally the Ottoman Empire, each has left its mark on the region, often through conquest and warfare. Each shift in power has brought with it tensions and struggles for autonomy and territorial control.
 
The 20th Century and the Creation of the State of Israel
The 20th century marked a critical turn in Israel's history. With the rise of Zionism in response to Jewish persecution in Europe, especially after the Holocaust, the push for a Jewish state in Palestine intensified. The 1917 Balfour Declaration by the United Kingdom endorsed the idea of a "national home" for the Jewish people in Palestine, which exacerbated tensions with the established Arab population.
 
The 1947 UN partition plan for Palestine, proposing the creation of a Jewish state and an Arab state, was accepted by Jewish leaders but rejected by Arab leaders, leading to the 1948 war, known in Israel as the War of Independence and by Palestinians as the Nakba (Catastrophe). Since then, Israel has been in conflict with various Arab neighbors and the Palestinians, with significant wars in 1956, 1967 (Six-Day War), 1973 (Yom Kippur War), among others.
 
Geopolitical and Strategic Factors
Israel is located in an extremely strategic region, near the vital oil resources of the Middle East and at the crossroads of three continents. This positioning has made Israel a focal point for global and regional powers, contributing to its constant state of threat and need for defense. International alliances, such as Israel's with the United States, have played a crucial role in its ability to sustain and defend itself.
 
Contemporary Conflicts
In modern times, Israel faces multiple conflict fronts: with Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the struggle for Palestinian sovereignty and rights in the West Bank. Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory, control over Jerusalem, and the status of Palestinian refugees remain ongoing points of friction fueling violence.
 
Culture of Resilience and Defense
The constant threat has cultivated a culture of resilience and defense in Israel. Mandatory military service and a highly militarized society reflect this reality of living in perpetual alertness. The collective memory of past persecutions and the survival of the Holocaust also reinforce a national identity that values security above all else.
 
The struggle over land deemed sacred by several religions, the imperial ambitions of countless powers, and the power dynamics from the 20th century to the present day have kept Israel in a state of perpetual conflict. Given this scenario of endless war, where historical, religious, geopolitical, and cultural factors intermingle, any attempt at finding...

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