Israel's Eurovision team accuse competitors of 'hatred'

The Israeli delegation at the Eurovision Song Contest faced "an unprecedented display of hatred" from other countries and their entrants, the national broadcaster has claimed.

This year's international singing competition was mired in controversy, with the participation of Israeli contestant Eden Golan in the wake of the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza being a frayed point of debate.

During the week-long contest, pro-Palestinian protesters showed their support for Gaza and condemned Israel taking part in Eurovision, while Ms Golan's performances throughout the week were met with a mix of boos and cheers.

A statement from the Israeli public broadcaster Kan to the PA news agency said: "This year, the Israeli delegation faced immense pressure and an unprecedented display of hatred, notably from other delegations and artists, publicly and collectively, solely because of the simple fact that we are Israeli's and that we were there.