"With space for Israel, the European Broadcasting Union participates in the normalization and laundering of crimes [led by the Zionist state in Gaza]." This is what the 72 artists who have participated in the Eurovision contest say in the letter published in the media The Independent. The document is addressed to the European Broadcasting Union, which is asked to exclude Israel from Eurovision.

The previous edition is not only "the most politicized and unpleasant in the history of the competition", but, warning that it was a "disaster", they ask him for the change. They say that if there is a way to exclude Israel, seeing that other peoples have been excluded in the past – let’s say, Russia in 2022. The European Broadcasting Union has only responded to this idea: “Making comparisons between conflicts is not our job.”

The letter states that Israeli public television KAN is “complicit in the genocide” in Gaza. Eran Cicurel, editor-in-chief of KAN, admits that this artistic event is also political: "Eurovision has not been a simple musical event for a long time, it is a vital place for the defense of Israel."

Eurovision will take place from 13 to 17 May in the Swiss city of Basel. Spanish and Slovenian public broadcasters have called on the European Broadcasting Union to launch an internal debate on Israel's participation, and Iceland has openly opposed the presence of the Zionist state.

Only the flag of one's own people

This year, Eurovision has banned artists from displaying flags on stage that do not belong to their country. Either LGBT, trans, or Palestinian flags are banned.

The winner of the previous edition of Nemo waved the non-binary flag from the stage.