The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the organization responsible for the Eurovision Song Contest, acknowledged having “very deep concerns and opinions regarding the current conflict in the Middle East” but defended Israel’s participation, stating that “all members are eligible to compete.”
“We welcome the fact that RTVE has reaffirmed its commitment to the Eurovision Song Contest and acknowledge that there are very deep concerns and opinions regarding the current conflict in the Middle East,” reads a statement released last Friday. This came after the Spanish public broadcaster RTVE called for “the opening of a debate” regarding the Israeli broadcaster KAN’s participation in the contest.
Nevertheless, the organization reminded that “all EBU members are eligible to compete in the Eurovision Song Contest” and assured that it would maintain “constant contact with this year’s participants, including RTVE, on all aspects of the competition.”
The RTVE’s request came after petitions in Finland, at the end of March, urged public broadcaster Yle to pressure the EBU to exclude Israel from the 2025 edition due to the Gaza war.
The Spanish public broadcaster RTVE today called for “the opening of a debate” concerning the participation of Israeli broadcaster KAN in the Eurovision contest, scheduled for May in Switzerland, in a letter addressed to the European Broadcasting Union, which organizes the event.
Lusa | 20:08 – 11/04/2025
Israel’s participation in last year’s Eurovision faced significant criticism due to the conflict in the Gaza Strip. Before the competition, eight representatives, including Portugal’s Iolanda, issued a joint statement expressing unity against all forms of hate, including antisemitism and Islamophobia.
During an interval performance, Swedish singer Eric Saade, of Palestinian descent, faced criticism for wearing a keffiyeh, a scarf associated with the Palestinian struggle, around his arm.
In the final, Iolanda, representing Portugal with ‘Grito’, had her performance removed from social media and YouTube because the keffiyeh pattern featured on her nails instead of the white color used during the semifinal performance.
Netherlands’ singer Joost Klein, a favorite to win with ‘Europapa’, was expelled just hours before the grand final. The EBU cited a complaint filed “by a female member of the production team following an incident during his semifinal performance.” According to the Swedish press, the complainant was a member of the Israeli delegation, and the Swedish Public Prosecutor’s Office later dropped the case months afterward.
Prior to the event, the organization asserted that “the Eurovision Song Contest is a competition for public broadcasters throughout Europe and the Middle East.” It reiterated that “it is a contest for broadcasters—not governments—and the Israeli public broadcaster has participated in the contest for 50 years.”
When asked about Russia’s expulsion from the festival in 2022 following its invasion of Ukraine, the EBU explained that Russia violated its “obligations” as a member and the “values of public service media.”
This year, Israeli broadcaster has chosen Yuval Raphael, a, as its representative. Portugal will be represented by Napa with ‘Deslocado’.
The Eurovision Song Contest 2025 is scheduled to take place between May 13 and 17 in Basel, Switzerland, following Nemo’s victory with ‘The Code’ in last year’s edition.
