Eurofission - How Israel Ruins Eurovision

Who doesn’t like a bit of singing? But those in the competition of Eurovision aren’t heroes, and the leadership of the countries they represent aren’t either. Eurovision has always been steeped in politics with the decisions of scores being made on political alliances, and socio-political alignments. This is nothing new. The European Broadcasting Union has always been open to non-European countries being members of the EBU, and this includes Tunisia and Algeria, but Israel’s time in the Eurovision competition has been marred by controversy, despite their relative success within it. I am perhaps pedantically against Israel being in the competition, not least because they are not a European nation, but I am also well aware of the long-standing issues that surround Israel’s participation in the competition. However facile my view of the situation in Israel may be, the prospect of appeasing war mongers such as Netanyahu should make any passive observer cautious. If we look at Israel specifically in the context of Eurovision, their success is unquestionable, but their assuredness is troubling. 

When Netta won in 2018, it was controversial for a number of reasons, with some accusing her of cultural appropriation, and the lines “Next time in Jerusalem” being viewed as a taunt to Palestinians. This shouldn’t have been acceptable then when they should have been barred from hosting, and it shouldn’t be acceptable now. I find diplomatic relations challenging to understand at the best of times, and in this instance - devoid of clear speech and characterised by veiled communication hidden within actions - even more so. It's like we are constantly being baited to take one side or the other on so many different issues, and Israel is one of these issues. 

There are many cheerleaders for Israel and they are right and just to support a Jewish safe-haven state, but, and it’s a big but, this does not and should not diminish the feelings of those uncomfortable with the bombings in Gaza and the West Bank that have persisted for far longer than they ever should have. It also should not diminish the rights of those who have had family in the state before the 1948 independence of the state of Israel. This does not mean that active hostility should be shown towards Israelis, and Hamas and Hezbollah should seek to end hostility, but when Israel is seeking defence aid from so many different nations, why should Hamas not be able to use economic funds from Qatar? 

Both are committing war crimes, but we are somehow accepting of the Israeli government’s actions, because of the atrocities their people have faced in the past? The old adage two wrongs don’t make a right comes to mind. Another angle to account for is that Israeli politics has aligned to the far-right and this is dangerous whatever form extremist politics takes. Yair Golan of the opposition Democrats is uncertain that Israel is currently a democratic nation. As a reserve major general in the Israeli Defence Forces, Yair Golan was involved in the aftermath of October 7th, however, he has come out to say he now does not support Israel’s actions against the Palestinian people. 

But what has this all got to do with a singing contest? Well, Eurovision is innately political, and it always has been. Jordan even refused to broadcast the 1978 Israeli win, and Israel isn’t the only country that has caused controversy in the past. In 2009, the Georgian entrant withdrew from the competition after the EBU criticised the lyrics of the Georgian entry for negative views against Vladimir Putin. 

I would argue from this small survey of controversies within Eurovision history that the EBU is partially responsible for the lack of action against Israel in the competition. However, what is also clear for me to see on a grand level is the timidity shown towards Israel. Even in the criticism of Israel by other nations, there is a caution shown. Cooler heads may prevail in certain circumstances but when war crimes are on the table, why should our actions be light-handed? Whilst Eurovision doesn’t matter in the big picture, gesture politics could make an impact here, and if we do not raise our voice as a nation, then there is something wrong with the way our political system is too. The timidity with which Keir Starmer sought to distance himself from Enoch Powell the other day must come out more clearly, and if this means insulting a political ally, so be it. 

Image: Flickr/David Jones

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