13 December 2023 , 19:38
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Icelandic artists have called on the country not to compete in next year’s Eurovision Song Contestant should Israel be allowed to participate amid the IDF’s relentless bombardment of Palestine.
Iceland's Association of Composers and Lyricists believe that Israel, located in the Middle East, should be excluded from the competition due to its “war in Gaza and the killing of innocent civilians and children”. The group of artists revealed that should an Israeli act be permitted to perform in Malmo, Sweden next year, Iceland - who failed to qualify for the competition last year - should refuse to participate in the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest.
Israel’s place on the list of participating countries for Eurovision 2024 has caused a huge backlash over recent weeks, with many fans of the music competition questioning why the country hasn’t been excluded from the contest like Russia was in 2022, following Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Russia’s neighbouring country Ukraine.
Noa Kirel of Israel performing during the first semi-final at the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool earlier this year (AP)Israel is not located in Europe but has been allowed to participate thanks to the Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA) being an active member of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Israel made its debut at the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time in 1973 and has won the competition twice over the years.
Following intense online criticism from concerned Eurovision fans regarding Israel's scheduled appearance at next year's contest, the European Broadcasting Union released a statement regarding Israel’s participation in Eurovision and admitted it currently has no plans to ban Israel from the Eurovision Song Contest.
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The statement read: “The Eurovision Song Contest is a competition for public broadcasters from all over Europe and the Middle East. It is a contest for broadcasters – not for governments – and the Israeli public broadcaster has been participating in the contest for 50 years.
“The EBU is a member-led organisation. The EBU’s governing bodies – led by the Board of Directors – represent the members. These bodies assessed the list of participants and decided that the Israeli public broadcaster complies with all competition rules. Together with 36 other broadcasters, it will be able to participate in the competition next year.” The EBU statement went on to add: “At the moment, there is an inclusive attitude towards Israeli participants in major competitions. The Eurovision Song Contest remains a non-political event, uniting audiences worldwide through music.”
Amid the fan fury over Israel’s inclusion, Iceland's Association of Composers and Lyricists have issued a statement arguing that Israel should be disqualified from Eurovision 2024 as the contest is meant to be “the space of joy and optimism, not military force”. The statement from Iceland's Association of Composers and Lyricists comes amid the United Nations General Assembly voting to demand an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in war-torn Gaza, in a rebuke to the United States which has repeatedly blocked ceasefire calls in the UN’s Security Council.
It’s thought more than 18,000 Palestinians have been killed since October, with reports suggesting 70% of fatalities have been women and children. Israel has been carrying out air strikes and attacks across Palestine since a Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October which Israeli officials say took the lives of 1,200 people. Another 240 Israelis were taken hostage by Hamas but some were released during a brief truce last month.