KUALA LUMPUR – The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has okayed Israel’s participation in the kitschy Eurovision Song Contest extravaganza, even though Russia has been excluded due to its siege on Ukraine.
Also, more than 400 celebrities, including British actress Helen Mirren, British singer Boy George, and former Kiss frontman Gene Simmons, published an open letter supporting Eurovision’s decision to allow Israel to participate.
This was in response to petitions calling for Israel to be banned from the world’s biggest live music event, which will be held in Sweden in May.
The EBU told AFP that it had reviewed and decided late last year on the matter.
“The Eurovision Song Contest is a non-political music event and a competition between public service broadcasters who are members of the EBU. It is not a contest between governments,” EBU director-general Noel Curran was quoted as saying.
He previously said it was not the broadcaster to compare wars and that the Russian broadcasters were suspended from the EBU due to persistent breaches of membership obligations .
He also pointed to sports federations, which have maintained Israel’s participation.
Meanwhile, in their open letter, artists said they had been disappointed to see members of the entertainment community calling for Israel to be banished from Eurovision for responding to the greatest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.
However, the letter did not mention the tens of thousands of civilian casualties in Gaza due to the ongoing war.
The International Court of Justice last month ordered Israel to take all measures to prevent its troops from committing genocide against Palestinians in a case brought by South Africa.
Israel is to take part in the second semi-final on May 9, from which 10 of the 16 contenders will progress to the final on May 11.
Eden Golan, 20, who grew up in Russia, will represent Israel after winning a domestic contest. Israel has qualified for every grand final since 2015.
The decision has been slammed as a stark contrast to the decision to ban Russia.
Last year, EBU said including Russia in the contest “would bring the competition into disrepute” after the country launched a full-scale invasion into Ukraine in February.
“The decision was based on the rules of the event and the values of the EBU.”
In 1998, Israel’s Dana International became the first transgender singer to win Eurovision. Israel also won in 1978, 1979 and 2018.
This year’s event coincides with the 50th anniversary of ABBA’s Eurovision victory with their breakthrough hit Waterloo. – February 16, 2024