DN Opinion. The Eurovision Song Contest is decided in a democracy

the Response to the submitter ”Boycott the Eurovision Song Contest in Israel” by Gunnar Olofsson on may 4:

In the weekend woke up israelis living in the southern part of the country to the renewed rocket attacks from Gaza. 4 and 5 may, fired by palestinian islamic Jihad and Hamas over 600 rockets and mortar shells from Gaza at Israel.

It has led to three deaths, including Moshe Agadi, which was fyrabarnsfar. Twenty people have also been injured and the many more civilians have had their lives destroyed.

deliberately against civilian areas and met with israeli roads, homes, a factory, a kindergarten and a hospital in Ashkelon. The schools were kept closed in the entire southern part of the country then the children had to run to shelters to protect themselves from the explosions.

Hamas, which is, without any regard rules the Gaza strip, committing crimes against humanity in more ways than one. Hamas is attacking ruthlessly Israeli civilians, while they themselves hide and operate among the civilian population in Gaza, turning the civilian population into human shields.

When the Hamas is attacking Israel is attacking, in reality, also the Gaza strip. Hamas have a routine to store and fire weapons from within densely populated areas, which shows a complete lack of respect for the value of human life, and their actual intention to put Gaza's population in danger.

which was directed against Israel and took the lives of a palestinian woman in the Gaza strip and her children. They called Falasteen Abu Arar and Saba Mahmoud.

Hamas is responsible for the recent escalation, which began by a palestinian sniper wounded two israeli soldiers on the border with Gaza in a Hamas-organized demonstration on Friday. Hamas had already pre-planned that the protests would become violent, then more or less forced the people to demonstrate in a direct connection to the border with Israel.

Hamas and the palestinian islamic Jihad, both of which are internationally classified as terrorist organisations, has a long and bloody history of knowingly exposing civilians to the terror. These organizations have historically performed hundreds of heinous suicide bombings, firings, knivattacker and automotive-related attacks that have injured and claimed the lives of thousands of people in Israel life.

is financially supported by Iran and has publicly called for the murder of israelis, with the ultimate aim to destroy Israel and establish an islamic caliphate in its place.

Hamas violent takeover in the Gaza strip in 2007 from the palestinian authority have resulted in the firing of approximately 12,000 rockets and mortar shells against Israel. Hamas has for many years built up its military capabilities with the help of the financial assets intended for the Gazan civilian population and engaged in mafia-like economic activities locally in order to be able to increase on their armories and to be able to build tunnels under the border.

Israel wants a peaceful border with the Gaza strip, but so long as Hamas continues to drive the conflict, rather than serve its own people's interest will violence always have the better of peace.

the host of the Eurovision Song Contest. The whole world will once again witness how the free, open, pluralistic, dynamic and inclusive israeli society is – the Middle east's only democracy.

the State of Israel has for almost a century had to cope with one threat after the other. Despite all these challenges, the country has flourished. Israel has continually sought and also achieved peace with the neighbors, Egypt and Jordan. Israel longs for the day when peace can be achieved also with its palestinian neighbors.