Israel will participate in the Eurovision Song Contest, undeterred by threats of a boycott

Despite facing boycott threats over its conflict with Hamas, Israel will be participating in next year’s Eurovision Song Contest. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the organizer of the contest, confirmed Israel’s participation.

Calls for Israel’s exclusion from the event were made by Icelandic artists and supported by over 500 signatories to a petition by Irish broadcaster RTE. These calls were in response to Israel’s military actions in Gaza. However, the EBU has reiterated that Eurovision is a contest for broadcasters, not governments, emphasizing that the Israeli public broadcaster has been a part of the contest for 50 years.

The EBU, which is governed by an executive board, stated that Israel’s broadcaster, KAN, complies with all competition rules and is eligible to compete next year. The organization stressed that Eurovision is a non-political event aimed at uniting people through music, mirroring the stance of various sporting unions and federations regarding Israel’s participation.

The EBU’s decision to include Israel in the contest is consistent with its policy of not conflating political conflicts with participation in the event. This approach was also applied in the case of Russia’s exclusion in 2022, a decision made by the governing bodies of the organization.

Noa Kirel, an artist and former Israel Defence Forces soldier, represented Israel in the 2023 contest in Liverpool, achieving fourth place. Both Iceland and Israel have confirmed their participation for the next contest, though their entries have yet to be selected.

In related news, the BBC announced that Olly Alexander of the pop band Years and Years will represent the UK in the upcoming contest. The UK, represented by Mae Muller in 2023, finished second to last, with Sweden’s Loreen winning the contest for a second time.