Spanish broadcaster RTVE has sent a letter to the EBU asking for an open discussion about the participation of Israel at Eurovision.
The letter was sent by RTVE’s president, José Pablo López, following a discussion with the broadcaster’s Board of Directors.
López wrote to Noel Curran, director-general of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), requesting for a debate to be opened between the organisation’s members about the inclusion of Israeli broadcaster KAN in the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest, to be held in Basel this May.
A press statement from RTVE reads as follows:
“In this letter, RTVE conveys its commitment to the EBU, but also acknowledges the concerns raised by various civil society groups in Spain regarding the situation in Gaza and the participation of the public television station KAN in the competition.
“RTVE believes it would be appropriate for the EBU to recognise the existence of this debate and facilitate a space for reflection among EBU member broadcasters on the participation of Israeli public television station KAN.”
Ever since protests surrounding Israel’s participation at the song contest began in the run-up to Eurovision 2024, organisers at the EBU have repeatedly shut down these calls. They affirmed their position that the event is a competition between public broadcasters rather than governments, noting the contest must remain apolitical.
RTVE is now raising the point that, if this is the case, then those public broadcasters should be able to undertake an open debate about the issue, rather than having the EBU dictate their position.
Following their statement, RTVE becomes the second Eurovision participating broadcaster to publicly comment on Israel’s appearance at the contest. The council of Slovenia’s national broadcaster, RTVSLO, adopted a resolution last December calling for the withdrawal of Israel from Eurovision 2025.
There have been repeated calls from musicians, fans, unions, human rights activists, and other notable figures for Israel’s removal from Eurovision since the beginning of the Israel-Gaza war in October 2023. The conflict has seen more than 50,000 people killed in Gaza, with multiple organisations accusing Israel of committing war crimes and acts of genocide.
The war began when Hamas carried out an attack in southern Israel on 7 October 2023, during which 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
