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.
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.
It marks the latest point of tension in Eurovision’s ongoing challenge to reconcile cultural celebration with political reality, following Switzerland’s decision to ban artists from taking Pride flags on stage.
What does the open letter to Eurovision say?
The letter reads: ‘[We] 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.
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‘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.
‘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.’
The full letter is available to read on the Artists for Palestine website.
What was Eurovision’s response?
Martin Green CBE, Director of the Eurovision Song Contest, said in a statement that Eurovision is a competition 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,’ he said.
He 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.’
Israel’s national broadcaster, 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.
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Last year’s singing competition faced similar controversy over the participation of Israeli contestant, Eden Golan, in the wake of the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza.
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.
Who is Israel’s 2025 Eurovision act Yuval Raphael?
Yuval is a singer from Israel and a survivor of the October 7 Nova music festival attack, which killed 378 people.
When Hamas terrorists launched an ambush on attendees at the open-air music festival, Raphael rushed to hide in a nearby kibbutz with 50 others. She was one of just 11 survivors, after being forced to hide under dead bodies for eight hours.
Raphael has spoken previously about the shocking details of the attack.
‘It had become the tomb for almost 40 souls seeking refuge with us,’ she told the UN Human Rights Council in March last year.
‘The physical injuries I sustained are healing, but the mental scars will stay with me forever.’
Nearly two years on, Yuval, who still has shrapnel lodged in her head and leg from October 7, has said she isn’t daunted by the backlash to Israel’s inclusion again this year.
‘I’ve been given another chance at life, so it’s my duty to not be afraid – and to spread the light. I see it as an honour and a responsibility. I love my country, I love the Israeli people,’ she told the Daily Mail.
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 Gaza Health Ministry, which has been historically considered reliable by organisations including the United Nations.
Last week, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague opened proceedings on Israel’s obligations to the United Nations (UN) in relation to its occupation of Palestinian territories, which is illegal under international law.
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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