Israeli NGO “Breaking the Silence” has called on Eurovision goers to experience “the full picture” of Israel’s occupation by taking a tour to the West Bank city of Hebron (Al-Khalil).
The group yesterday erected a giant billboard on a highway between Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport and Tel Aviv – where this year’s Eurovision Song Contest is being held – in a bid to highlight Israel’s now 52-year-old occupation of the Palestinian territories.
Breaking the Silence invite tourists to Israel to visit Hebron and "see the full picture" https://t.co/PDBVeEXAzO
— Haaretz.com (@haaretzcom) May 12, 2019
The poster is emblazoned with the words “dare to dream of freedom”, playing on Eurovision’s slogan and calling on concertgoers to “see the full picture” by joining a Breaking the Silence tour.
Executive Director of Breaking the Silence, Avner Gvaryahu, said of the poster:
“We invite Eurovision guests from all over the world to celebrate with us in Israel, and join a tour of Hebron to see the full picture.”
Breaking the Silence offers Eurovision visitors tour of ‘occupied’ Hebron: The left-wing Israeli group Breaking the Silence has offered Eurovision visitors a tour of “occupied Hebron.” https://t.co/myYS2rzuHy JPost pic.twitter.com/QZxryWFjE8
— Jewish Community (@JComm_NewsFeeds) May 12, 2019
The same image was posted to Breaking the Silence’s Facebook page, where the organization wrote:
“Hey Eurovision, thanks for coming to party with us! Enjoy the sunny beaches and exciting nightlife, just don’t forget that there’s a lot more to this place than fun and games.”
Breaking the Silence @BtSIsrael Executive Director Avner Gvaryahu @AGvaryahu said: "We invite #Eurovision guests from all over the world to celebrate with us in Israel, and join a tour of Hebron to see the full picture." https://t.co/jo1pb8V6Zi
— Josie Glausiusz ג'וסי גלאזיוס جوسي غلاوسيوز (@josiegz) May 12, 2019
The post continued:
“An hour away from your hotel, throughout the occupied territories, millions of Palestinians are still living under military rule. We know this because we were the soldiers sent to serve in the territories, and we would like to show you the full picture.”
The billboard shows two images of Israel; on the left, an idealized image of a Tel Aviv beach and the Mediterranean Sea, while on the right a concrete watchtower, Israel’s Separation Wall and illegal West Bank settlements can be seen.
(Middle East Monitor, PC, Social Media)
