- 72 artists accuse EBU of double standards, 'normalising and whitewashing' alleged Israeli war crimes
- Open letter criticises organisers for last year's 'disastrous' competition
LONDON: A group of 72 former Eurovision participants have called on the European Broadcasting Union to ban Israel and its national broadcaster KAN from this year's song contest, citing the war in Gaza.
In an open letter published on Tuesday, the artists accused the EBU of “normalising and whitewashing” Israel's alleged war crimes by allowing the country to participate in the events.
“By continuing to build a platform for the representation of the Israeli state, the EBU is normalising and whitewashing its crimes,” the letter said, adding that the organisation's actions at last year's contest in Sweden were “catastrophic”, leading to “the most politicised, chaotic and unpleasant edition in the history of the contest”.
“Last year we were appalled that the EBU allowed Israel to participate while it continued its genocide in Gaza, broadcast live to the world,” the statement said.
“Instead of acknowledging the widespread criticism and examining its own failures, the EBU responded by doubling down – giving the Israeli delegation complete impunity while suppressing other artists and delegations.”
Signatories to the letter include the UK's 2023 representative May Muller, Ireland's 1994 Eurovision winner Charlie McGettigan, Finnish singer Kaija Karkinen and Portuguese singer Fernando Tordo.
Controversy over Israel's participation has intensified since last year, when the EBU resisted growing pressure to ban the country despite its military campaign in the Gaza Strip.
Critics have accused the EBU of double standards, citing Russia's exclusion from the 2022 contest following its invasion of Ukraine.
“Silence is not an option,” the letter reads. “The EBU has already demonstrated that it is capable of taking action, as it did in 2022 when it excluded Russia from the contest. We will not accept this double standard towards Israel.”
The appeal comes amid growing attention to Israel's inclusion in this year's competition, which will take place in Basel, Switzerland, from May 13 to 17.
Last week, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) lifted a ban on Palestinian flags in the auditorium, reversing a long-standing policy that banned the use of symbols of non-competing countries and territories.
Officials in several countries — including Spain, Iceland and Slovenia — have also raised objections. Slovenia publicly protested Israel’s inclusion earlier this month.
Despite mounting criticism, the EBU said Israel's participation complied with the contest's rules and would proceed as planned. Large protests are expected during the event.
This year, Israel will be represented by Yuval Rafael, a survivor of the October 7 Hamas attack, who will perform a song called “A New Day Will Come.”
