The European Broadcasting Union says it won’t exclude Israel from participating in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024. As Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet reports, the EBU believes that Israel’s broadcaster KAN meets all of the requirements to compete.
The EBU said:
“The Eurovision Song Contest is a competition between public service organizations from across Europe and the Middle East that are members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). It is a competition for broadcasters – not governments – and the Israeli broadcaster has been participating for 50 years.”
The EBU also said it wants to preserve the competition’s status as “an apolitical event that unites audiences around the world through music”.
The EBU added that their decision is also informed by international sports federations, which still welcome Israeli athletes to major competitions.
Earlier this month, the International Ice Hockey Federation banned Israel’s team from participating in the under-20 world championships. However, on Wednesday they reversed their decision after security measures were put in place to address the risks of Israel’s participation.
Israel’s participation at Eurovision 2024 is highly controversial amid the ongoing war in Gaza. Fans have pointed out that Israel’s national selection has included politically loaded segments that politicise the contest. Songwriters in Iceland, two UMK contestants and the French singer La Zarra are among those who have publicly expressed concerns about Israel’s participation.