Finnish and Icelandic artists, among others, have called for Israel to be banned from the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, due to the ongoing Gaza War. But the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) last week reiterated its position that Israel will be allowed to participate in the song contest, which is due to be held in Malmö, Sweden.
The EBU, which oversees the organization of the Eurovision Song Contest, emphasized that the Eurovision is an "apolitical" event, and that Israel meets all the conditions for taking part in the song contest, which is a competition for public broadcasters from all over Europe and the Middle East.
The Eurovision site Wiwibloggs reported that EBU director general, Noel Curran, said: “The Eurovision Song Contest is a non-political music event and not a contest between governments. Our governing bodies reviewed the participants’ list for the 2024 contest and agreed that the Israeli public broadcaster Kan has met all the competition rules for this year and can participate, as it has for the past 50 years.”
Following her victory in the Israeli pre-Eurovision selection event, HaKokhav HaBa, held in February, Eden Golan will represent Israel at the song contest. Her song is due to be made public in March 2024.