By Alexander Pracht
A remark made by an Israeli commentator during the live broadcast of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest on Thursday sparked backlash from Armenian communities worldwide. Shortly after Armenia’s performance in the semi-final, a broadcaster on Israel’s public channel Kan 11 was heard saying, “I can’t believe we gave a whole quarter in Jerusalem to these guys,” referring to Armenians.
The comment referred to the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City, one of the four historic sectors alongside the Jewish, Muslim, and Christian Quarters. Though small in size, the Armenian Quarter has been home to an Armenian presence for nearly 1,700 years, dating back to monks who settled there shortly after Armenia adopted Christianity.
In recent years, however, this historic enclave has come under mounting pressure from both the local municipality and private developers, as controversial real estate deals and growing political interest have raised concerns about the quarter’s future.
The Save the ArQ movement of Jerusalem, concerned with the area’s future, issued a statement on Friday, condemning the comment. Stressing that Armenians naturally settled in this part of Jerusalem in the 4th century rather than were “given land” by someone, it labeled the remark as “a disturbing, baseless, racist and offensive statement targeting an ancient community that is an inseparable part of the historical, religious, and cultural fabric of Jerusalem.” The group demanded a formal apology from Israel’s public broadcaster and urged officials to take steps to prevent such rhetoric from recurring.
Armenia’s Public Television also called for an apology from Israel’s Public Broadcasting Corporation. In a statement issued on Saturday, the Armenian network said it had requested clarification over the remark from the Israeli broadcaster.
Following this, Kan’s CEO Golan Yochpaz issued an official letter of apology, calling the remark “a joke [that] was aimed solely at the song and not at the country or the Armenian people,” and expressing regret that it had caused offense.
In a parallel development, Parg, the Armenian representative, faced criticism after a photo surfaced showing him holding an Israeli flag following his semi-final performance. The image sparked backlash from parts of the Armenian public, where Israel is widely viewed as a close ally of Azerbaijan and a key supplier of weapons used by Baku, including during the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Despite the controversy, Parg advanced to the grand final, where he finished 20th out of 26 contestants with his song Survivor. Notably, Armenia awarded Israel zero points, both from the jury and public vote, while Israel’s jury granted 5 points to Armenia, and Israeli viewers contributed another 6. Israel ultimately finished as runner-up with strong support from voters across Europe, while Austria’s JJ claimed victory.
2 Comments
This was a non-apology. “Once we learned that the commentary was perceived as offensive” is an insidious way of placing blame on the people who took exception to the insult. It was objectively offensive and not only to Armenians. You’d think an Apartheid state that is in the middle of conducting a live-streamed genocide would know when to not be cheeky about other people who have a similar history to the Palestinians. It was tone deaf and the apology fell far short, not that anyone should feel surprised.
Re the Israeil commentator’s remark. The remark did seem to be humorous and the reaction by (some, many, most) Armenians did seem to be an overreaction, reminiscent of recent years of cancel culture in the United States. (Traditionalists would have told the commentator not to apologize for humor.) An unanswered question is whether Armenians’ reaction, prevalent within the culture of some countries but not of others, should be prevalent in Armenian culture these days, whether the reaction would be part of a worldview which would provide the best path forward for the flourishing of the Armenian nation. Ov karox e gushakel?