Organizers of the Eurovision Song Contest on Thursday ruled out the idea of excluding Israel from the competition, unlike what they did for Russia in the wake of the country's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Calls to ban Israel from the competition came from several countries following the war in Gaza, triggered by the attack of unprecedented scale launched on October 7 by Hamas from the Gaza Strip.
“Comparisons between war and conflict are complex and difficult and, as an apolitical media organization, it is not our place to make them,” Noel Curran, the chief executive of the European Radio-Television (UER), which brings together the broadcasters of the competition, told AFP.
He said the EBU is "aware" of the many voices being raised to exclude Israel from this year's competition, which will be represented in May by singer Eden Golan.
"However, the Eurovision Song Contest is a non-political musical event and a competition between public service broadcasters that are members of the EBU. It is not a competition between governments," Curran noted.
(AFP)