Why Israel received the most points at the Eurovision Song Contest from an Islamic country

It was already after midnight when each of the 37 participating countries announced its jury score. An endless ritual. Singer Safura, who had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) herself a few years earlier, joined in from Azerbaijan. "Hello Switzerland, good evening Europe, salam from Azerbaijan!" she said in front of the glittering skyline of Baku. "Twelve points from Azerbaijan go to . . ." (long pause): "Israel!" The cameras panned to the Israeli delegation led by singer Yuval Raphael, who erupted in cheers.

The jury of a Muslim country, of all places, was the only one to award Israel the maximum number of points. In the singing competition, however, not only the expert jury's score counts, but also that of the viewers, who are allowed to vote via a paid number. And here the result was clear: Israel, which ultimately came second, came out on top by a wide margin, receiving the most audience votes in 12 countries, including Switzerland and Germany. The numerous protests and hostilities clearly had a mobilizing effect. Even in Azerbaijan, the most people called in for Israel.

How can this be explained? It can't be due to the composition of the population. Of Azerbaijan's approximately 10 million inhabitants, estimates suggest that only 10,000 to 20,000 are Jewish. Yet the oil-producing state has maintained close relations with Israel for years. The two countries share a common enemy, Iran. Economic and military interests are crucial: Azerbaijan is Israel's largest oil and gas supplier; in return, Israel supplies weapons and cooperates closely on security and intelligence matters.

The current head of state, Ilham Aliyev, like his father Heidar, likes to present himself as a friend of the Jews; he does not tolerate anti-Semitism. In 2023, Azerbaijan became the first Shiite Muslim country to open an embassy in Israel. This appears to be having an impact on the attitude of the population, as the results of the Eurovision Song Contest show.

The close relationship has been a recurring topic of discussion in Islamic countries, especially since the beginning of the war in Gaza. Last year, Azerbaijan supplied around 60 percent of Israel's oil demand, which had increased massively due to the war, thus ensuring that all boycott efforts were in vain.

The geopolitical complexities in the region are also reflected in another Eurovision result. Israel received no points from only two countries. Among them was Armenia, which has been locked in a sometimes bloody conflict with Azerbaijan since the end of the Soviet Union. Most recently, Azerbaijan expelled 120,000 Armenian Christians from the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh—an ethnic cleansing that was carried out in record time in 2023, thanks in part to Israeli arms deliveries. Israel also steadfastly refuses to recognize the Ottoman genocide of the Armenians of 1915/16, likely to avoid upsetting Turkey and Azerbaijan.

It's therefore hardly surprising that Armenia doesn't have the greatest sympathy for Israel. However, judging by the Eurovision Song Contest voting results, the antipathy is only one-sided. Armenian singer Parg received eleven points from Israel (five from the jury and six from the audience) – only three countries gave more.

How the Israeli population feels about Azerbaijan cannot be determined from this year's Eurovision Song Contest – the country was eliminated in the semifinals. According to the organizers, such considerations shouldn't be a consideration anyway: For them, the Eurovision Song Contest is a completely non-political event.