The European Broadcasting Union asserts all its members are eligible to contend in the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest after Spain’s public broadcaster RTVE asked the company to open a debate on Israel’s participation.
Yesterday, RTVE sent a letter to the EBU requesting members debate the Jewish state’s inclusion in the contest, citing “the concerns raised by various civil society groups in Spain regarding the situation in Gaza.”
“We welcome RTVE confirming their commitment to the Eurovision Song Contest and appreciate there are concerns and deeply held views around the current conflict in the Middle East,” the EBU says.
“All Members of the EBU are eligible to compete in the Eurovision Song Contest and we remain in constant contact with those participating this year, including RTVE, on all aspects of the Contest.”
Yuval Raphael, who survived Hamas’s massacre of the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023, will perform a song titled “New Day Will Rise.”
The ESC is scheduled for mid-May in Basel, Switzerland.
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