RTVE asked the European broadcasting union (UER) to open the debate on Israel’s participation in the Eurovision Festival a few days ago. He did it through a formal letter by José Pablo López, president of the Corporation, in which “the opening of a debate within the organization is requested.” The letter was directed directly to Noel Curran, general director of the UU, and in it Spain recognized “the concerns raised by various civil society groups in Spain regarding the situation in Gaza and the participation of Kan public television.”
The UER has responded dryly with a brief statement in which it shows that it will not open any debate: «We celebrate RTVE’s confirmation of its commitment to the Eurovision Song Festival and we understand the concern and deep opinions about the current conflict in the Middle East. All the members of the Uuer can compete at the Eurovision Song Festival and maintain constant contact with this year’s participants, including RTVE, to inform them about all aspects of the contest ».
What was specifically requested in the statement was that “the URU recognizes the existence of this debate and facilitates a space for reflection between the emitters members of the UER” in relation to the participation of the public television of Israel.
It should be remembered that Israel’s participation in 2024 was already subject to great controversies, since it happened while the genocide in Gaza was being carried out. The Israel delegation received complaints from 16 different countries, with many artists ensuring feeling “insecure.”
Although the URU assures that Eurovision is a “apolitical” musical festival, the organization has accepted the Yuval Raphael song, candidate of Israel. Raphael is a survivor of the October Hamas attack 2023 and his proposal mentions the conflict in Gaza. On the other hand, the UER has had complaints about the sexual content of the songs of Malta and Finland.
RTVE, on the other hand, enjoys a great position in Eurovision since Spain is one of the five countries that contribute the most money to the festival, along with Germany, France, Italy and the United Kingdom. Internal, Ana María Bordas, head of the Spanish Delegation of Eurovision since 2017, has been appointed as the new president of the EU Reference Group. This is the maximum Eurovision control body. Next, the complete statement that RTVE sent last week:
“In accordance with the agreements reached in the Board of Directors, the president of the RTVE Corporation has been addressed by letter to the general director of Uue, Noel Curran, to request the opening of a debate within the organization on the participation of the public television of Israel (Kan) in the next Eurovision Song Contest that will be held in May in the city of Basel.
In this letter, RTVE transfers its commitment to the festival, but also recognizes the concerns raised by various civil society groups in Spain regarding the situation in Gaza and the participation of the public TV Kan in the contest.
RTVE considers that it would be appropriate for the URU to recognize the existence of this debate and facilitate a space for reflection between the EUR member stations on the participation of the Israeli public TV Kan. ”
