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Spain’s national broadcaster RTVE has called on the organisers of the Eurovision Song Contest to open a debate regarding Israel’s involvement in this year’s competition, citing public unease over the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
In a statement released on Friday, RTVE said it had formally written to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which oversees Eurovision, to “request a debate on the participation of Israeli public broadcaster KAN” in the 2024 event.
This year’s contest will take place in the Swiss city of Basel, with semi-finals scheduled for 13 and 15 May and the grand final on 17 May at the St. Jakobshalle arena.
Each participating country is represented by its public broadcaster, so if KAN were to be excluded, Israel would not be represented in the contest.
RTVE emphasised its continued support for the Eurovision Song Contest but acknowledged that “the situation in Gaza and the participation of KAN are causing concern within Spanish civil society”.
“It would be appropriate for the EBU to recognise the existence of this debate and offer a space for discussion among its member broadcasters regarding the involvement of Israeli public television,” the statement added.
Last year’s competition in Malmö, Sweden, saw thousands protest against Israel’s participation due to the conflict in Gaza. Israeli contestant Eden Golan was forced to revise her lyrics after they were deemed to reference the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023, which triggered the current war.
This year, Israel will be represented by Yuval Raphael, a survivor of the Nova music festival massacre, during which over 370 people were killed. Raphael, who hid beneath bodies to stay alive, has said she is prepared to endure the same hostility faced by Golan.
In Finland, national broadcaster Yle received two separate petitions last month urging it to advocate for Israel’s exclusion from the contest. One was signed by over 500 professionals from the music and culture sector, while the other, a public petition, attracted more than 10,000 signatures.
Israel, which has claimed victory at Eurovision four times—most recently in Lisbon in 2018—remains a central point of controversy in the competition.
According to Israeli authorities, the Hamas-led attack on 7 October 2023 killed over 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and resulted in the capture of 251 hostages. Since then, Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has left nearly 51,000 people dead, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory—a figure the United Nations generally considers credible.
