Dozens of former Eurovision contestants have signed an open letter urging the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to ban Israel and its public broadcaster from this year’s contest, accusing it of whitewashing alleged war crimes in Gaza.
The letter blasted last year’s Eurovision in Sweden as "the most politicized, chaotic and unpleasant in the competition’s history” and accused Israeli public broadcaster KAN of being "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.”
Among the 72 signatories are the U.K.’s Mae Muller, Ireland’s Charlie McGettigan and Portugal’s Fernando Tordo.
"By continuing to platform the representation of the Israeli state, the EBU is normalizing and whitewashing its crimes,” the letter said.
"The EBU has already demonstrated that it is capable of taking measures, as in 2022, when it expelled Russia from the competition. We don’t accept this double standard regarding Israel,” it added.
Controversy over Israel’s participation escalated in 2023, when a KAN journalist was filmed joking with Israeli soldiers beside a tank shell.
Irish contestant Bambie Thug also accused KAN of "inciting violence against me, twice, three times,” with the controversy causing the singer to withdraw from dress rehearsals.
This year, Israel is represented by Yuval Raphael, a survivor of the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas, followed by Israel’s relentless offensive on Gaza for the last year-and-a-half, killing over 52,600 people so far.
The EBU said it "appreciated there are concerns about the current conflict in the Middle East” and that it remains "in constant contact with those participating this year.”
Broadcasters from Spain, Iceland and Slovenia have also questioned Israel’s inclusion.
"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,” the letter concluded.
"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 result was disastrous.”
