Over 70 former Eurovision contestants call for Israel to be banned from competition
The UK’s 2023 entrant Mae Muller is among the signatories of the open letter (Getty)
The UK's 2023 entrant Mae Muller is among the signatories of the open letter (Getty)
More than 70 former Eurovision contestants – including winners – have signed an open letter calling for Israel to be removed from this year’s competition.
The signatories urged the EBU to ban Israel’s national broadcaster KAN as well as Yuval Raphael, who is set to perform New Day Will Rise”. Shared by campaign group Artists for Palestine, the letter says that the country’s inclusion made last year’s event “one of the most politicised” in history.
Following the attack by the Palestinian nationalist group Hamas in 2023, which left 1,195 people dead, and at least 250 Israeli citizens and soldiers taken hostage, Israel’s bombardment of Gaza has killed in excess of 50,000 people. A peer-reviewed study published in the medical journal The Lancet put the death toll considerably higher.
Israel has faced international criticism for its continued military action, which include the blockade of humanitarian aid into Gaza, causing food and medical shortages.
Now, 72 former Eurovision contestants, including 2023 UK entry Mae Muller and former winners Charlie McGettigan and Salvador Sobral, have urged the EBU to reconsider Israel’s inclusion later this month, saying that their continued support would make them “complicit” in Israel’s actions in Gaza.
The signatories went on to say: “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. Last year, we were appalled that the EBU allowed Israel to participate.”
The decision prompted a boycott by some fans.
Responding on its website, the EBU said that Eurovision was a “non-political event… open to all”.
In 2022, Russia was banned from Eurovision in following Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, and the signatories to the letter argued that silence on the ongoing conflict is “not an option,” condemning the EBU for continuing to offer Israel a platform.
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