Last year’s Eurovision Song Contest winner has joined growing calls for Israel’s exclusion from this year’s competition, the New Arab reported on May 10th.
Swiss singer Nemo, who won the 2024 contest with their song “The Code”, told The Huffington Post UK this that Israel’s continued participation undermines the core values Eurovision claims to promote: “peace, unity, and respect for human rights.”
“I don’t support the fact that Israel is part of Eurovision at the moment,” Nemo said, referring to Israel’s ongoing military campaign in the Gaza Strip.
This year’s competition is set to take place in Switzerland from May 13th to May 17th. Israel’s entrant, singer Yuval Raphael, has faced extensive criticism from ex-participants and pro-Palestinian activists.
Israel’s war in Gaza has killed over 52,800 Palestinians. The war began after a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, including the Nova music festival, where Raphael was present.
Several European broadcasters, including those from Spain, Ireland, Iceland and Slovenia, have expressed reservations about Israel’s inclusion in Eurovision. More than 70 ex-participants also signed an open letter this month urging the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organises the contest, to reconsider Israel’s involvement.
The letter alleged that Israel’s public broadcaster, Kan, was complicit in what the signatories described as a “genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza.”
Last year’s contest also faced controversy over Israel’s participation. The EBU requested changes to Eden Golan’s song lyrics after they were found to contain political references to the October 7th attacks.
Her appearance in the 2024 contest drew protests in Malmo, Sweden. But before the contest, a joint statement from several contestants, including Nemo, urging for a ceasefire and the denouncement of Israeli actions in Gaza and the West Bank.
This comes amid the Israeli security cabinet approving a plan to broaden its offensive in Gaza, in which the territory would reportedly be seized, the BBC reported on May 5th.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israel will move Gaza’s 2.1 million population in order safeguard it. He omitted saying how the extent of the territory the troops would seize but stressed that “they will not enter and come out.”
The New Arab, BBC
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