Eurovision Bosses Speak Out After 3 National Broadcasters Question Israel's Involvement

Eden Golan represented Israel at Eurovision in 2024, finishing in fifth place overallEurovision organisers have issued a statement after several national broadcasters raised issues with Israel’s involvement in this year’s event.This week, Iceland’s national broadcaster called for Israel to be removed from Eurovision 2025 as a result of the ongoing conflict in Gaza.Prior to that, broadcasters for Slovenia and Spain also raised issues about Israel still being allowed to compete this year.On Tuesday morning, a spokesperson for the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) told HuffPost UK: “We understand the concerns and deeply held views around the current conflict in the Middle East.“The EBU is an association of public service broadcasters who are all eligible to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest every year. We are not immune to global events but, together, it is our role to ensure the Contest remains – at its heart – a universal event that promotes connections, diversity and inclusion through music.”The EBU’s statement continued: “We received an application from [the Israeli national broadcaster] Kan before the September deadline to participate in the 2025 event. The application from Kan met all the competition rules.“As an independent media organisation, our decisions are based on these rules. We all aspire to keep the Eurovision Song Contest positive and celebratory and aspire to show the world as it could be, rather than how it necessarily is.“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 last month, following Swiss singer Nemo's victory in 2024Israel’s presence at Eurovision has long been a controversial subject, but this reached new heights during last year’s competition, where many pro-Palestine critics called for an all-round boycott of the event.Earlier this week, it was revealed that Eurovision had revised its rules around which flags fans in the audience would be allowed to wave.Fans can now bring any “legally permitted” flag into the Eurovision arena in Basel, which includes that of Palestine, as well as various Pride flags which were not allowed last year.However, this rule only applies to audience members, with competing acts only being allowed to carry the flag of their own country while appearing in “official spaces” during this year’s competition.MORE EUROVISION:Olly Alexander Gets Candid About His 'Brutal' Eurovision ExperienceHave Flags Actually Been Banned At Eurovision 2025? Here's What's Really Going OnEurovision Singer Forced To Make Last-Minute Changes To Song Due To C-Word Comparisons

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