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As blood flows on the Gaza Strip, the debate rages on whether Israel should be banned from the world’s biggest TV show. The Eurovision Song Contest will be held in Sweden this spring. Several artists believe Israel should be banned. The reason is Israel’s overreaction to Hamas’ horrific terrorist attack on Israel last fall.

An arena for politics

The Eurovision Song Contest was established in the aftermath of World War II. A Europe that longed for peace and reconciliation. A music festival is therefore created. The hope was that the music festival would be a place for reconciliation and understanding of other people and cultures. The music festival was intended to be apolitical. But as I wrote in a blog a few years ago. It has always been political. Outspoken political statements and controversial.

This year, the conflict in the Middle East is the big political issue. Israel is overreacting to the terrorist attack. A fear of ethnic cleansing is real. Moreover, the civilian population is suffering extremely. Israel’s revenge is aimed at all Palestinians in Gaza, that’s wrong. The fear that Israel’s real motive is the annexation of this area is a real fear.

Boycott or exclusion from Eurovision

It doesn’t matter what term we use. Whether we’re talking about boycotts or exclusion from participation. A country that violates the intention when the Eurovision Song Contest was started has no business being there.

Israel has no right to collective punishment of all Palestinians in Gaza. They also have no right to annex the Gaza Strip. Several politicians in Israel are openly talking about establishing Jewish settlements there. This is against international law. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has a responsibility to exclude Israel from this year’s festival. Sweden as an organizer also has a responsibility.

The signal sent to Israel must be absolutely clear. This is not compatible with the idea when the Eurovision Song Contest was started. Welcome back when you’ve finished the carnage in a decent way.

Sources:

Eurovision 2024: Nordic artists calling for Israel to be banned | Euronews

Israel faces Europe’s ultimate threat: Getting kicked out of Eurovision – POLITICO