Calls to ban Israel from Eurovision intensify

A growing number of former Eurovision stars, including Ireland’s Charlie McGettigan, Mickey Harte, Brian Kennedy and Mark Caplice, have joined an international call to ban Israel’s state broadcaster KAN from this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.

The artists are among more than 70 past contestants, songwriters and creatives from across Europe who signed an open letter condemning Israel’s participation in the contest due to its actions in Gaza.

The letter, published by Artists for Palestine UK, accuses KAN of being “complicit in Israel’s genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza” and urges the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to act.

“As a winner of Eurovision, I believe that the Israeli government has been and is inflicting genocide on the people of Palestine,” said Charlie McGettigan, who brought victory to Ireland in 1994.

“For that reason, Israel should be barred from competing in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.”

The letter, released just ahead of the Eurovision finals on May 17, claims that the 2024 edition of the contest has been “the most politicized and unpleasant in the competition’s history”, blaming the EBU for giving “total impunity to the Israeli delegation while repressing other artists”.

Among the signatories is Gåte, a Norwegian band who were attacked by Israel’s broadcaster during a live Eurovision broadcast and labelled “sons and daughters of Amalek” — a biblical reference echoed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a speech calling for the destruction of Palestinians in Gaza.

“We were there. We saw what happened. We spoke to the EBU about it,” the band said.

The letter highlights what it describes as a double standard in the EBU’s approach to politics, pointing out that Russia was banned from the contest in 2022 following its invasion of Ukraine.

“It can’t be one rule for Russia and a completely different rule for Israel. You bomb, you’re out,” said Thea Garrett, who represented Malta in 2010.

Calls for Israel to be excluded from the contest are growing across Europe.

Public broadcasters in Iceland, Slovenia and Spain have all come out against KAN’s participation this year.

The signatories say they “refuse to allow music to be used to whitewash crimes against humanity” and are urging the EBU to “act now and prevent further discredit and disruption to the festival”.

Controversy also erupted over offensive remarks reportedly made by KAN during its coverage of the contest.

The broadcaster was accused of mocking and insulting other countries’ performers during the live transmission.

Eran Cicurel, a senior editor at KAN, has previously said Eurovision is “more than just a musical event” and described it as “a critical arena for Israeli advocacy”.

This latest controversy unfolds as the International Court of Justice in The Hague opens proceedings concerning Israel’s obligations under international law regarding the occupation of Palestinian territories — deemed illegal by the United Nations.

With tensions running high ahead of the May 17 final, pressure is mounting on the EBU to respond to the backlash from within the Eurovision community itself.