As controversy rages on over Israel’s participation in the Eurovision 2024 Song Contest, NME reached out to fans, academics, and past performers about their decision to boycott or tune into the show. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) received backlash for their decision to allow Israel to compete amidst the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict, leading to calls for boycotts from groups like Queers for Palestine who wrote an open letter to UK entry Olly Alexander urging him to refrain from competing this year. Anti-war and pro-Palestinian protesters made their voices heard during Israel’s dress rehearsals, including Greta Thunberg decrying the country’s inclusion.
Eurovision scholar Dean Vuletic stated that he will still be watching the competition for research purposes and believes the EBU allowed Israel to compete because they “simply doesn’t have the political power to ban Israel.” He explains that banning countries like Yugoslavia in 1992 following the Yugoslav Wars, or Russia after its invasion of Ukraine in 2022 occurred under the context of international or European sanctions which don’t exist in the case of Israel-Palestine.
Others such as Jay Aston from The Fizz, who won Eurovision in 1981, stated that they will still watch the competition. However, Aston believes politics should not play into the contest and that it is meant to be lighthearted entertainment. Comedian Sam Lake who hosted Comedy Eurovision since 2020 and watched the contest since 2000 is boycotting the show this year. Lake calls Israel’s participation as propaganda and wasn’t happy with the EBU’s handling of the controversy.
As the debate rages on over whether to watch or boycott the contest, the Eurovision Song Contest is discovering whether the controversy will affect the show’s viewing figures. Meanwhile, the EBU continues to defend its decision to allow Israel’s participation
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