Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest while Gaza is a humanitarian disaster

When I first arrived in England to study, I listened to a lecture on the European Union. I remember that the professor said in the introductory presentation that if we want to know what different countries think about each other, we should watch Eurovision. So, like any good student, I sat down and watched the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time in May 2016. Just a month before the UK voted to leave the EU, I watched Joe and Jake finish a humiliating 24th out of 26 contestants. I can safely say that I learned my lesson that night.

Since then, watching Eurovision has become a sacred tradition for me and my friends - which I now have to give up. Instead of watching Eurovision this year, I will join the boycott of that music competition.

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organizes the competition, gave Israel the green light for the competition. This outrageous decision by the EBU goes against everything this music competition is supposed to represent: peace, unity and cooperation. One in 20 people who lived in Gaza a year ago are now dead, injured or missing as a result of the actions of the State of Israel. How can a country whose attack on Gaza has so far claimed the lives of more than 30 people be allowed to participate?

Israel's participation in this year's competition exposes the double standards and blatant hypocrisy woven into the process by which the EBU defines what it considers "political". Just a day after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, the EBU banned Russia's participation, saying that "in light of the unprecedented crisis in Ukraine, the inclusion of a Russian song would bring the competition into disrepute".

For months, the EBU has been under pressure to ban Israel's participation this year. Musicians from Finland, Iceland, Norway, Denmark and even Sweden (this year's host country) have all signed open letters calling on their national broadcasters to advocate for a ban on Israel's participation.

Iceland has also hinted that under the circumstances it could withdraw from the competition entirely. Elsewhere, an online petition launched in December to the EBU director general has been signed by 50 people.

When the lyrics to the original version of the Israeli song October Rain were leaked in February, it briefly looked like the EBU would ban Israel from participation. The ballad was rejected by the EBU as the lyrics referred to the massacre committed by Hamas on 7 October (which the Israeli government uses to justify its continued attack on Gaza) and therefore breached Eurovision's rules on political neutrality.

At first, Khan, Israel's public broadcaster, was defiant and refused the EBU's request to change the lyrics. The dispute was resolved when the Israeli president Isaac Herzog intervened to change the lyrics and meet the Eurovision criteria. Now called Hurricane, the song has EBU approval and Israel will compete this year. Although it is surely a pure coincidence that Hurricane rhymes with October Rain.

Although the EBU issued a statement trying to explain why it treats Russia and Israel differently, the fact remains that the EBU is painfully silent about the humanitarian disaster in Gaza. For many Eurovision fans, myself included, this is not just a missed opportunity. The EBU had the opportunity to step forward and correct the historical injustices of the competition. At the 2019 contest in Tel Aviv, Eurovision fined the Icelandic public broadcaster after Hattari, representing Iceland, displayed the Palestinian flag during the broadcast. The EBU also censored the band's protest on the official DVD recording of the competition.

There is no moral or ethical way to watch Eurovision this year. No amount of mental gymnastics will make sense of it. A boycott is the only option, and we must go further. When Israel hosted Eurovision 2019, the Palestinians organized an alternative Globalvision in London, Dublin, Ramallah and Haifa on the same day to raise awareness of the occupation, but also to emphasize "the original values ​​of Eurovision, which are inclusion and diversity".

I hope that in the run-up to May 11, these alternative events will be organized again and can be a place to channel our energy and support. Venues that planned to broadcast the Eurovision final should instead host fundraising events for organizations such as Palestinian Medical Aid.

Silence on this humanitarian crisis should be seen as complicity - our actions matter more than ever.

Despite all the talk about the apolitical nature of Eurovision, the contest has always been influenced by political divisions and issues of inclusion and exclusion. This was most clear in the touching broadcasts and songs of support and solidarity for Ukraine two years ago. Given the history of Eurovision, it is hard to believe that similar signs of support for Palestine will be allowed in this year's contest.

The reality is that both Russia and Israel are carrying out illegal invasions of other territories. However, only one of them got the opportunity to perform on the world stage with over 160 million viewers. Why does the value of "unity in music" apply only to Ukraine? If we as Eurovision fans want to honor the spirit of the competition of peace and cooperation, then we have no choice but to boycott it.

The text is taken from "The Guardian"

Translation: NB