Eurovision 2025: Over 70 former artists unite, call for Israel’s exclusion

In a notable development ahead of Eurovision 2025, more than 70 former contestants and artists have publicly urged the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to exclude Israel and its broadcaster, KAN, from the upcoming contest. The artists argue that allowing Israel’s participation contributes to what they describe as a normalization of human rights violations against Palestinians. This initiative, led by Artists for Palestine UK, highlights a growing intersection between music, culture, and global politics. Despite the controversy, Israel is currently set to compete with the artist Yuval Raphael performing New Day Will Rise.

The open letter, signed by Eurovision stars including past winners Salvador Sobral (Portugal, 2017) and Charlie McGettigan (Ireland, 1994), accuses KAN of complicity in Israel’s alleged human rights abuses in Gaza and the broader Palestinian territories. The artists specifically referenced the 2024 contest as one of the most politically charged and chaotic editions in Eurovision history. The EBU previously excluded Russia from Eurovision in 2022 due to its invasion of Ukraine, leading the artists to question the organization’s consistency and fairness in dealing with international controversies.

The statement emphasizes music’s power to unite people and insists it should not be used as a platform to ignore or normalize serious global issues. While the EBU maintains its stance on keeping Eurovision non-political, this petition reflects significant and growing pressure from within the Eurovision community itself. How this will affect the atmosphere in Basel, Switzerland, for Eurovision 2025 remains to be seen.

Full statement from the artists:

We, the undersigned former Eurovision participants, urge all members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to demand the exclusion of KAN, the Israeli public broadcaster, from the Eurovision Song Contest. KAN is complicit in Israel’s genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza and the decades-long regime of apartheid and military occupation against the entire Palestinian people.

We believe in the unifying power of music, which is why we refuse to allow music to be used as a tool to whitewash crimes against humanity. Last year, we were appalled that the EBU allowed Israel to participate while it continued its genocide in Gaza broadcast live for the world to see. The result was disastrous.

Rather than acknowledging the widespread criticism and reflecting on its own failures, the EBU responded by doubling down — granting total impunity to the Israeli delegation while repressing other artists and delegations, making the 2024 edition the most politicized, chaotic and unpleasant in the competition’s history.

Silence is not an option. When authoritarian movements and the far-right are on the rise around the globe, our duty to speak out has only become more pressing. We therefore join together to state that the EBU’s complicity with Israel’s genocide must stop.

By continuing to platform the representation of the Israeli state, the EBU is normalising and whitewashing its crimes. The EBU has already demonstrated that it is capable of taking measures, as in 2022, when it expelled Russia from the competition. We don’t accept this double standard regarding Israel.

We stand in solidarity with this year’s contestants and condemn the EBU’s repeated refusal to take responsibility.

As singers, songwriters, musicians and others who have had the privilege of participating in Eurovision, we urge the EBU and all its member broadcasters to act now and prevent further discredit and disruption to the festival: Israel must be excluded from Eurovision.

List of artists who signed the petition: