In a shocking revelation, Israeli officials have confessed to manipulating the results of the Eurovision contest to portray widespread global support for their military actions in Gaza. The admission comes after Israeli candidate Eden Golan secured a fifth-place finish in the competition held in Malmo, Sweden on May 11.

While the Israeli singer received only 52 points from the judges, viewers propelled her to fifth place with an astonishing 323 points through televoting. Despite the lower score from the judges, Israeli media and government officials were quick to portray the result as evidence of tacit European backing for Israel's assault on Gaza.

However, it has now been revealed that the Israeli Foreign Ministry actively encouraged pro-Israel individuals worldwide to cast their maximum allotted 20 votes for Golan. The ministry carried out a targeted campaign, appealing to audiences who shared pro-Zionist and Islamophobic views, including the LGBT community in Europe, fan clubs, journalists covering the contest, and opinion leaders in the field.

This effort included the dissemination of slickly-produced advertisements on platforms like YouTube, where Golan urged viewers to vote for her while denouncing the "wave of hatred and Muslim demonstrations" in Malmö. With over 14 million views, these videos played a significant role in mobilizing pro-Israel support.

Israeli government sources confirm that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and government publicity office invested in this campaign to secure votes, focusing on appealing to specific demographics who had shown interest in the past and analyzing voting patterns of countries. The result was a surge in votes from countries like Australia, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

Acting Deputy Director of Public Diplomacy at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, David Saranga, expressed delight at the overwhelming support received by Golan, even from countries known for their critical public opinion of Israel. Saranga claimed that this indicated the presence of "underground currents" of pro-Zionist sentiment across Europe.

However, the revelation of the orchestrated campaign has sparked controversy and criticism. Critics argue that this manipulation undermines the credibility of the Eurovision contest and disguises genuine public sentiment. Skeptics point to the fact that Croatia's candidate secured the popular vote, despite the Israeli campaign's efforts.

As social media users discovered the Israeli government's manipulation of the Eurovision vote, the YouTube channel dedicated to promoting Golan's entry was abruptly deleted. Nevertheless, numerous videos from other Israeli government sources, such as Tel Aviv's official YouTube channel, remained online and continued to urge viewers to vote for Golan.

The Israeli government and its officials, including UN Ambassador, diplomats, and Israel's official Twitter account, actively participated in promoting the campaign. The efforts even extended to physical advertisement, with a billboard at New York's Times Square commissioned by the Israeli consulate, urging passersby to vote for Golan.

Despite these extensive efforts, it is evident that the Israeli campaign fell short of its intended objective, with Golan's fifth-place finish failing to crack the top three. This outcome highlights the limited influence of the so-called "silent majority" in shaping the results and raises questions about the ethics of such orchestrated campaigns in international competitions.

As the controversy unfolds, the true extent of grassroots support for Israel's Gaza assault remains uncertain. The revelation of manipulation has cast doubt on the narrative depicted by Israeli media and officials, exposing the strategic use of international propaganda to sway public opinion.