Yossi Schwartz, the ISL, the RCIT section in Israel (Occupied Palestine), 06.05.2025
Today,” Israel Hayom” in the very right-wing daily newspaper writes:
“Apartheid and crimes in Gaza”: 72 participants and past winners call for Israel’s exclusion from the Eurovision Song Contest
In a letter sent to EBU, the artists claim that the Kan Broadcasting Corporation is an accomplice to “genocide” • Among the signatories: Eurovision winners from Portugal, Ireland and other prominent past participants • The European Broadcasting Union has already clarified recently: “There is no basis for comparison with Russia – Kan maintains editorial independence”
The political storm surrounding the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 refuses to fade – even when Israel, which over the past year has been careful to stay away from any fanning the flames of controversy and respects the spirit of the contest as a cultural rather than a political event, finds itself once again at the heart of the controversy. Dozens of former Eurovision contestants, including past winners and well-known artists, have signed a public letter calling for the expulsion of Israel and its public broadcasting corporation from the upcoming contest.
According to a publication by the British newspaper The Independent, 72 singers who have participated in the Eurovision Song Contest over the years have signed a letter sent to the European Broadcasting Corporation (EBU), demanding that Israel and the public broadcasting corporation, Kan, be excluded from the upcoming contest. The letter claims that the last Eurovision Song Contest – in which Eden Golan participated – was “the most political, chaotic and unpleasant Eurovision in the history of the contest,” and that Israel cannot be allowed to participate as long as it “runs an apartheid regime and commits crimes in Gaza.” In their words.
The letter reads: “We, the undersigned – past participants in the Eurovision Song Contest – call on all members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to demand the expulsion of Kan, Israel’s public broadcasting corporation, from the Eurovision Song Contest. ‘ Kan’ is complicit in the genocide committed by Israel against the Palestinians in Gaza, and in the apartheid regime and the ongoing military occupation that has existed for decades.” The signatories note that “precisely because we believe in the unifying power of music – we refuse to allow it to be used as a tool to whitewash crimes against humanity.”
They added, “Last year we were shocked that the EBUallowed Israel to participate in the competition, while continuing the atrocities in Gaza – live in front of the world. The result was disastrous: a political contest, chaotic and unpleasant, perhaps more than any Eurovision song contest in the past.”
According to them, the broadcasting union chose to turn a blind eye to public criticism, and to grant Israel “total immunity – while artists and other delegations have been subjected to sanctions and silencing.” They demand that the EBU “stop normalizing and whitewashing Israel’s crimes,” and recall that “just as Russia was eliminated from the contest in 2022, there is no justification for a double standard vis-à-vis Israel.” They conclude their letter by reading: “In order to prevent further damage to the reputation and essence of the Eurovision Song Contest, Israel must be eliminated from the contest.”
The letter is signed by 72 artists who have participated in the Eurovision Song Contest over the years – some of them past winners and prominent representatives from countries known for their critical stance toward Israel’s policy. Among the signatories: Salvador Sobral, winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 from Portugal with the song “Amar Pelos Dois”, which was praised as one of the most moving musical performances in the history of the contest; Charlie McGattian, who won the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest as Ireland’s representative with Paul Harrington, performed the song “Rock ‘n’ Roll Kids”, who said in connection with the letter: “I believe that the Israeli government is committing genocide against the Palestinians – and therefore Israel’s participation in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest should be prevented.”
The letter was also signed by Dedi Freire, who became the recognizable face of Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest after he was chosen to represent the country both in 2020 (a contest that was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic) and in practice in 2021. Also added to the list was the band Gata, which represented Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, qualified for the finals but finished in last place – and even then caused a storm when it boycotted the Israeli media. Regarding Israel’s participation in the contest, The band members said: “We were there. We saw what happened. We spoke with the EBU about it.” The band members also referred to the way Israeli Eurovision commentators Akiva Novik and Assaf Lieberman referred to the members of Gaeta as “descendants of Amalek.”(deserve to be killed)
Last year, during the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö, nine artists who participated that year published a public letter calling for Israel’s ouster, in light of the fighting in Gaza. Among the signatories were representatives of Ireland, Portugal, Lithuania, Norway, Denmark, Switzerland, San Marino, Finland and the United Kingdom. The letter sparked a wide media storm and led to a series of responses: cancellations of interviews, boycotts of Israeli media, and considerable tension behind the scenes.
Recall that the European Broadcasting Union itself recently addressed the allegations of selective enforcement – and responded to a letter sent to it by members of the European Parliament, demanding that Israel be excluded from the contest. In its official response, EBU noted that there is no room for direct comparison between different geopolitical conflicts, and that the case of Russia – which was suspended from the Eurovision Song Contest in 2022 – stemmed from blatant violations of the Union’s rules, first and foremost the fact that the Russian broadcasters acted in full coordination with the Kremlin and lost their independence. On the other hand, It was written that the Israeli broadcasting corporation Kan is under political pressure and attacks from the political echelon, but it maintains its editorial independence. “We support free public broadcasting in all member states,” they stressed.
The letter that has now been published joins a series of protests and official statements by broadcasters in various countries – including the Spanish RTVE, the Slovenian RTV and the Icelandic RÚV– that have publicly expressed reservations about Israel’s participation in the competition. In Iceland, there was even an unusual statement by the foreign minister, and the spokesman for the Icelandic delegation conveyed political messages to the EBU in a similar spirit”
What a bunch of lies – the Israeli public broadcaster is a propaganda arm of the Zionist state – We oppose the sanctioning of Russia by an Western imperialist body, while Israel that is committing genocide according to the ICC, is not.