Eurovision Bosses Respond To Former Contestants' Calls For Israel To Be Removed From Contest

Eden Golan represented Israel at last year's Eurovision Song ContestEurovision bosses have dismissed the latest calls for Israel to be removed from this year’s event, which is due to take place in just over a week.Last year’s Eurovision Song Contest was blighted with controversy, largely due to Israel’s continued involvement, and it looks like this year’s is now going the same way.Earlier this week, more than 70 musicians and performers who have been involved in the competition in the past co-signed an open letter urging bosses to drop Israel from this year’s line-up in solidarity with Palestine.The letter, first published on Artists For Palestine UK’s website, read: “[We] urge all members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to demand the exclusion of KAN, the Israeli public broadcaster, from the Eurovision Song Contest.“KAN is complicit in Israel’s genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza and the decades-long regime of apartheid and military occupation against the entire Palestinian people.“We believe in the unifying power of music, which is why we refuse to allow music to be used as a tool to whitewash crimes against humanity.”View this post on InstagramA post shared by Artists For Palestine UK (@artists4palestineuk)“Last year, we were appalled that the EBU allowed Israel to participate while it continued its genocide in Gaza broadcast live for the world to see,” the open letter continued.“The result was disastrous. Rather than acknowledging the widespread criticism and reflecting on its own failures, the EBU responded by doubling down – granting total impunity to the Israeli delegation while repressing other artists and delegations, making the 2024 edition the most politicised, chaotic and unpleasant in the competition’s history.”“The EBU’s complicity with Israel’s genocide must stop,” the group urged.On Tuesday, Eurovision’s director Martin Green told Metro: “We understand the concerns and deeply held views around the current conflict in the Middle East.“The EBU is not immune to global events but, together, with our members, it is our role to ensure the Contest remains – at its heart – a universal event that promotes connections, diversity and inclusion through music.“We all aspire to keep the Eurovision Song Contest positive and inclusive and aspire to show the world as it could be, rather than how it necessarily is.”The statement continued: “As a reminder, the EBU is an association of public service broadcasters, not governments, who are all eligible to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest every year if they meet the requisite requirements.“It is not our role to make comparisons between conflicts. As part of its mission to secure a sustainable future for public service media, the EBU is supporting our Israeli Member KAN against the threat from being privatised or shut down by the Israeli government.“The EBU remains aligned with other international organisations that have similarly maintained their inclusive stance towards Israeli participants in major competitions at this time.” Eurovision will take place in Switzerland later this month, following Nemo's victory in 2024HuffPost UK has also contacted the EBU for comment.Last week, Eurovision bosses issued a similarly-worded statement to HuffPost UK in response to questions from three competing countries’ national broadcasters about whether Israel should remain part of the contest.You can read the full statement here.READ MORE:Eurovision Bosses Speak Out After 3 National Broadcasters Question Israel's InvolvementEurovision Stars Co-Sign Open Letter Calling For Israel's Removal From The ContestHave Flags Actually Been Banned At Eurovision 2025? Here's What's Really Going On

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