Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Israel should be banned from the Eurovision Song Contest due to the Gaza war, Arab News via AFP reported on May 19th.
Speaking at an event in Madrid, the leader expressed that his views were in solidarity with “the people of Palestine who are experiencing the injustice of war and bombardment.”
He referenced Russia’s exclusion from the competition since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. He said that “therefore Israel shouldn’t either, because what we cannot allow is double standards in culture.”
“Spain’s commitment to international law and human rights must be constant and must be coherent. Europe’s should be too,” he added.
Pro-Palestinian protests took place in Basel ahead of the contest, with calls for Israel’s disqualification due to their relentless bombardment of Gaza, The Guardian reported on May 17th. Despite this, Israel was still allowed to compete and ultimately won second place.
Even Swiss singer Nemo, who won the 2024 Eurovision contest, joined the calls for Israel’s exclusion from the contest. The New Arab reported on May 10th.
They told The Huffington Post UK that Israel’s continued participation undermines the key principles Eurovision claims to endorse: “peace, unity, and respect for human rights.”
Securing a total of 357 points, Israeli singer Yuval Raphael delivered a ballad which was shaped by her survival of the October 7th 2023 Hamas attacks. According to the BBC, the 25-year-old’s performance remained uninterrupted despite two protestors attempting to disrupt it.
According to Swiss broadcaster SRG SSR, paint was thrown and a crew member was hit but not injured. Both protestors were removed from the venue and taken to the police.
The public vote reshaped the scoreboard dramatically. Israel, which had lagged in the jury round, received 297 points from the public – briefly placing Raphael in the lead. Austria’s score of 436 points was the final tally to be revealed, propelling the country’s act, JJ, to the top as the 2025 Eurovision winner.
Sanchez has championed Palestinian statehood and has consistently critiqued Israel’s devastating war on Gaza, Al Jazeera reported on April 4th 2024. Sanchez announced on May 19th that Spain will submit a proposal to the United Nations General Assembly to ask the International Court of Justice to rule on Israel’s adherence to global obligations on humanitarian aid entering Gaza. This comes after the aid blockade on the besieged enclave.
Arab News via AFP, The New Arab, BBC, The Guardian, Al Jazeera
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