By luck or design, that brief but deadly round of fighting was wrapped up by May 6, in time for Israel to play host to the Eurovision Song Contest, an international pop music festival that begins with a first round of semifinals on Tuesday and ends with Saturday’s grand finale.

With one of the largest television audiences in the world for a live cultural event, Eurovision is a rare opportunity for Israel to try to rebrand itself as a tourist destination rather than a country defined by its conflict with the Palestinians and perennially on the brink of the next war.

As the winner last year, Israel earned the right to host the contest. Enter Tel Aviv, the city with the nonstop party vibe on the Mediterranean shore.

Dubbed the “State of Tel Aviv,” the gay-friendly commercial and entertainment hub is viewed by many Israelis as a hedonistic bubble of secular liberalism, somewhat disconnected from the rest of the country.