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Tim Davie, the Director-General of the BBC, has acknowledged the “concerns” surrounding Israel’s potential participation in next year’s Eurovision Song Contest, emphasizing that the event “has never been about politics.”
During a parliamentary committee hearing on Monday, Davie stated that the BBC would “work with” the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the organizers of Eurovision, to address the issue.
“Eurovision has never been about politics; it should be a celebration of music and culture that brings people together. We need to see what the broadcast union decides,” he added.
Several broadcasters, including those from Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Iceland, and now Spain, have threatened to boycott the contest if Israel is permitted to participate, citing the country’s actions in Gaza.
“We’re very aware of the concerns,” the BBC Director-General told the committee. “It’s obviously a well-debated topic and difficult.”
“At this stage we are supportive of the European Broadcast Union’s work. They are going around discussing with members, working through all the processes by which they would be satisfied to make a decision one way or the other.”
He further emphasized the importance of preserving the celebratory nature of the contest.
“But at this stage, I’m supporting the European Broadcasting Union’s work, and they need to get on with it.”
Earlier in the year, over 70 former Eurovision contestants signed a letter urging organizers to ban Israel from the 2025 competition in Basel, which Austrian singer JJ won after a close finish that saw him overtake Israel at the last moment.
Consequently, next summer’s event will be held in Vienna, the Austrian capital.
Spain’s Minister of Culture, Ernest Urtasun, has echoed calls made earlier this year by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, stating that Israel should not participate in the upcoming Eurovision.
In 2024, Spain joined Norway and Ireland in recognizing a Palestinian state. Last week, Sánchez accused Israel of genocide and announced several measures, including an arms embargo.
Israel’s Foreign Minister, Gideon Saar, responded by accusing Sánchez’s administration of antisemitism and using “wild and hateful rhetoric.”
In August, the UN-backed food monitor, the IPC, confirmed famine in parts of Gaza. Israel is accused of causing the famine through ongoing restrictions on food and medical aid entering the territory.
Israel controls all border crossings into the Gaza Strip and, as the occupying power, is responsible for protecting civilian life under international law, including preventing starvation.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly denied that starvation is occurring in Gaza, attributing any hunger to aid agencies and Hamas.
Israel routinely denies that its actions in Gaza constitute genocide, asserting they are justified as self-defense.
Israel initiated its war in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths and 251 hostages.
According to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry, at least 64,871 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since then.
Russia was banned from competing in Eurovision in 2022 following its invasion of Ukraine.
The EBU stated at the time that Russia’s inclusion could bring the competition into disrepute “in light of the unprecedented crisis in Ukraine.”
Before making this decision, the EBU said it had taken time to consult widely among its membership.
Ukraine went on to win the contest.
Eurovision is loved for its camp pop hits, soaring ballads and everything inbetween.
But over the years, artists have used their platform to send subtle – and not so subtle – political messages.
In 2023, Switzerland sent an anti-war song, Watergun, while Iceland were fined €5,000 back in 2019 for flying a Palestinian flag during the competition.
In 2016, Ukraine also won the event with a song called 1944 about the ethnic cleansing of Crimean Tatars in that year by Soviet forces.
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