Former Eurovision contestants have called on the competition to ban Israel and its national broadcaster Kan from this year’s contest.
Among the 72 names who have signed the open letter are the UK’s 2023 entry Mae Muller, Ireland’s 1994 champion, Charlie McGettigan, and 2017 Portuguese winner, Salvador Sobral.
They have demanded Israel’s removal from the Eurovision 2025, accusing Kan of being ‘complicit in Israel’s genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza and the decades-long regime of apartheid and military occupation against the entire Palestinian people.’ Israel has rejected accusations of genocide.
Last year, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity for his military response in Gaza. Netanyahu condemned the decision as ‘antisemitic.’
The open letter also accuses Eurovision organiser, the Eurovision Broadcasting Union (EBU), of ‘whitewashing and normalising [Israel’s] crimes’ by ‘continuing to platform’ the country and for a ‘double-standard’ after expelling Russia from the competition in 2022.
In response, Martin Green CBE, director of the Eurovision Song Contest, told Metro it was a competition that ‘promotes connections, diversity and inclusion through music.’
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The open letter to Eurovision 2025
‘We, the undersigned former Eurovision participants, urge all members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to demand the exclusion of Kan, the Israeli public broadcaster, from the Eurovision Song Contest. Kan is complicit in Israel’s genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza and the decades-long regime of apartheid and military occupation against the entire Palestinian people.
‘We believe in the unifying power of music, which is why we refuse to allow music to be used as a tool to whitewash crimes against humanity. Last year, we were appalled that the EBU allowed Israel to participate while it continued its genocide in Gaza broadcast live for the world to see. The result was disastrous.
‘Rather than acknowledging the widespread criticism and reflecting on its own failures, the EBU responded by doubling down — granting total impunity to the Israeli delegation while repressing other artists and delegations, making the 2024 edition the most politicised, chaotic and unpleasant in the competition’s history.
‘Silence is not an option. When authoritarian movements and the far-right are on the rise around the globe, our duty to speak out has only become more pressing. We therefore join together to state that the EBU’s complicity with Israel’s genocide must stop.
‘By continuing to platform the representation of the Israeli state, the EBU is normalising and whitewashing its crimes. The EBU has already demonstrated that it is capable of taking measures, as in 2022, when it expelled Russia from the competition. We don’t accept this double standard regarding Israel.
‘We stand in solidarity with this year’s contestants and condemn the EBU’s repeated refusal to take responsibility.
‘As singers, songwriters, musicians and others who have had the privilege of participating in Eurovision, we urge the EBU and all its member broadcasters to act now and prevent further discredit and disruption to the festival: Israel must be excluded from Eurovision.’
Eurovision’s response
Martin Green CBE, Director of the Eurovision Song Contest said: ‘We understand the concerns and deeply held views around the current conflict in the Middle East.
‘The EBU is not immune to global events but, together, with our members, it is our role to ensure the Contest remains – at its heart – a universal event that promotes connections, diversity and inclusion through music.
‘We all aspire to keep the Eurovision Song Contest positive and inclusive and aspire to show the world as it could be, rather than how it necessarily is.
‘As a reminder, the EBU is an association of public service broadcasters, not governments, who are all eligible to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest every year if they meet the requisite requirements.
‘It is not our role to make comparisons between conflicts.
‘As part of its mission to secure a sustainable future for public service media, the EBU is supporting our Israeli Member Kan against the threat from being privatised or shut down by the Israeli government.
‘The EBU remains aligned with other international organisations that have similarly maintained their inclusive stance towards Israeli participants in major competitions at this time.’
‘We all aspire to keep the Eurovision Song Contest positive and inclusive and aspire to show the world as it could be, rather than how it necessarily is,’ he said.
Green added: ‘The EBU remains aligned with other international organisations that have similarly maintained their inclusive stance towards Israeli participants in major competitions at this time.’
Kan is a member of the EBU and this year has put forward as its entrant Yuval Raphael, who will perform the song New Day Will Rise.
Last year’s singing competition was mired in controversy and the participation of Israeli contestant, Eden Golan, in the wake of the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza, was a frayed point of debate.
At the time, the national broadcaster for Israel claimed its delegation faced ‘an unprecedented display of hatred’ from other countries and their entrants during the competition.
During the week-long contest, pro-Palestinian protesters showed their support for Gaza and condemned Israel taking part in Eurovision, while Golan’s performances throughout the week were met with a mix of boos and cheers.
The war began when Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7 2023, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages.
Israel’s offensive has killed more than 50,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health, which has been historically considered reliable by organisations including the United Nations.
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Last week, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague opened proceedings on Israel’s obligations to the United Nations in relation to its occupation of Palestinian territories, which is illegal under international law, according to the ICJ.
The Eurovision Song Contest 2025 will be taking place in Basel, Switzerland, with the grand final on May 17 and the semi-finals on May 13 and 15.
It will be the first time the competition has been held in the German-speaking part of Switzerland after previously being hosted in Lugano in 1956 and Lausanne in 1989.
Basel won over locations including Geneva and Zurich to secure the spot and even beat the country’s capital city, Bern.
Remember Monday have been confirmed as the UK’s entry, following in the footsteps of Olly Alexander.
Swiss entry Nemo won Eurovision in 2024 with their song The Code, scoring 591 points.
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