3 National Broadcasters Have Now Questioned Israel’s Participation In Eurovision 2025

Israeli singer Eden Golan on stage at Eurovision last yearIsrael’s presence in the Eurovision Song Contest is continuing to provoke debate in the run-up to this year’s event.Last year’s competition was marred with controversy, with many calling for a boycott due to Israel’s participation amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza.With weeks to go until this year’s Eurovision live final in Basel, Switzerland, three of the participating countries’ national broadcasters are now calling Israel’s involvement into question.Towards the end of last year, the Slovenian national broadcaster RTV SLO’s council held a meeting where it was resolved that its board of directors would call on the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to no longer include Israel in the contest.Earlier this month, Spain’s broadcaster RTVE also contacted the EBU requesting a discussion among participating countries over Israel’s own broadcaster, KAN, being part of the event.Since then, Iceland’s foreign minister Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir told Visir she finds it “strange and actually unnatural that Israel is allowed to participate in Eurovision”, accusing the country of “war crimes” and “ethnic cleansing” in Gaza.A spokesperson for the Icelandic delegation at Eurovision later confirmed: “We have spoken clearly that decisions and opinions on this matter should be so high up in the ministry. And now finally this unequivocal opinion is being expressed and now we have informed our colleagues at the EBU of this.”HuffPost UK has contacted both the EBU and BBC for comment.Swiss performer Nemo is the reigning Eurovision championLast week, the director of the Slovenian broadcaster also said: “My position regarding the participants has not changed one bit since last year, and I remain firm in the appeal that I made to the European Broadcasting Union last year on behalf of Television Slovenija.“I called and I call again for clarification on why some are more equal than others. Of course, I am talking about the unequal treatment of Russia and Israel.“And about the fact that member states should have the opportunity to transparently co-decide on all essential issues, including the possible exclusion of Israel.”Russia was banned from participating in Eurovision in 2022 following the invasion of Ukraine, and has been absent from the contest ever since.Meanwhile, it’s been reported that a ban on Eurovision fans sporting Palestinian flags at the event has been overturned, according to the Telegraph, who cited “leaked documents obtained Denmark’s national broadcaster”.However, the same seemingly does not apply to participating performers, who it’s reported will only be allowed to wave the flag of their own country on stage in Basel.READ MORE:Eurovision Singer Forced To Make Last-Minute Changes To Song Due To C-Word ComparisonsOlly Alexander Gets Candid About His 'Brutal' Eurovision ExperienceDisqualified Eurovision Star Breaks Silence After Case Against Him Is Dropped By Swedish Authorities

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