Israel to Participate in Eurovision Despite Pro-Palestinian Activists' Demands

Organizers of Eurovision, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), have dismissed demands from pro-Palestinian activists calling for Israel's exclusion from the 2024 song contest. This information was reported by Eurovoix.

The demands to exclude Israel were based on the country's military operation in the Gaza Strip against the terrorist group Hamas. In response to a query from the Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws regarding Israel's participation, EBU representatives released a statement indicating that there are currently no plans to restrict Israel's right to participate in future Eurovision events.

EBU representatives stated that the Israeli national broadcaster complies with all fair competition requirements, and as such, Israel will join 36 other countries in the upcoming Eurovision contest.

"The Eurovision Song Contest is a competition for public broadcasters from across Europe and the Middle East. It is a contest for broadcasters, not governments, and the Israeli public broadcaster has been participating in the contest for 50 years. The EBU is an organization governed by its members. The governing bodies of the EBU, headed by the Executive Board, represent the members of the organization. These bodies have evaluated the list of participants and decided that the Israeli public broadcaster complies with all the rules of the contest. Together with 36 other broadcasters, it will be able to participate in the contest next year," stated the EBU press release.

Some observers draw parallels between Israel's inclusion in the competition and Russia's exclusion. Russia was excluded from Eurovision in 2022 due to its invasion of Ukraine and protests from several participating broadcasters. In response, the EBU noted that Eurovision is a competition for national broadcasters. Therefore, following multiple violations of membership obligations and a failure to uphold the values of public media, Russia was barred from participating in the contest.

Despite the ongoing war with Russia, Ukraine confirmed its participation in Eurovision 2024 in late August. The Ukrainian national broadcaster emphasized its commitment to supporting its musical culture amidst the challenges of war. Traditionally, Ukraine's representative will be selected through open national voting, with the final Ukrainian selection scheduled for February 2024.