https://www.rte.ie/entertainment/2025/0507/1511481-eurovision-nuj/
Kevin Bakhurst has said that RTÉ has asked the EBU for a discussion about Israel's inclusion in the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC).
How likely is it that Israel's contestant will banned from the ESC?
Totally unlikely in my opinion. The EBU are stopping contestants from even referencing the conflict. Amazing when 2022 was basically a celebration of Ukraine and now they're saying that they're an apolitical organisation.
ESC director Martin Green said that Russia was suspended in 2022 because the broadcaster that had, until them, showed the ESC in Russia was linked to the Russian government and didn't respect the rules - a nuance that means that Israel's case is not the same.
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https://www.jns.org/eurovision-head-rejects-calls-for-boycott-of-israel/
People who work for that Russian broadcaster are, for obvious reasons, less likely to disagree with the Russian government than people who work for Israeli broadcaster KAN are to disagree with the Israeli government.
How about just stopping the Eurovision in total and enough with this “we’re all friends” illusion that’s played out every year.
The EBU can say anything they like. Israel will not be banned from the competition. Do you think that they would have allowed Russia enter the contest if the Russian entry was completely separate from any broadcaster? Answer- No, they wouldn't.
can we kick them out as they are. Not even in Europe?
I have so little fooks for the euro vision it's breathtaking but exculding israel would be lovely. Anything, and I mean anything that helps highlights how much of a pariah sh1t hole israel is, is welcome imo.
Things must be back on track at RTÉ when they start coming out with guff like this. Give it six months, and they'll be calling for an increase in the licence fee. If Ireland has such a problem with Israel taking part in the Eurovision, why doesn't it pull out of the contest in protest? It’s not like Ireland contributes much to the competition these days, and we all know RTÉ doesn't want to win due to financial reasons. Israel really does live rent-free in the heads of the elite in this country. It’s both sad and funny at the same time.
No, you'd have to kick out Australia also if that was the case.
Australia haven't committed a genocide in a while at least
Australia are there by invitation. If they commit genocide their invite can also be receded
Israel is butchering 100's of people every week, they don't need to be living rent free in the heads of people for those people to be abhorred by that. Any decent human would be.
What's Israel singing about this year anyway ?
...
“New Day Will Rise” by Yuval Raphael is a heartfelt anthem that captures themes of love, hope, and resilience in the face of adversity.
Yeah right. Pass the sick bag please.
More Israeli misinformation. Days don't rise, the sun does.
Very likely, with any luck.
Just schedule an ad break for when it's their turn to sing or whatever, ffs.
They will have to rename the first book of the Bible to the Book of Genocide as this rate.
I haven't heard of a Eurovision entry that represented a country that doesn't have a broadcaster that is an EBU member.
Any broadcaster who does that would be expelled from the EBU.
I think it's like the world cup. Or international sporting events rugby. Those events need to be free of politics theres no international sanctions on Israel Eurovision is a song contest. Its not a political gathering or a demonstration of political viewpoints . Anyone in Ireland is free to go to anti Israel demonstrations rte could screen documentarys about the war in Gaza if they want to .
I don't know why Israel was entered in the contest in the first place . The eu could decide to sanction Israel if they want to thats a decision for politicans to make .
So if another broadcaster in Russia, outside of government influence, became an EBU affiliate, do you think that they'd allow Russia enter the Eurovision? Russia is banned from numerous sporting activities too. I'm not aware of Israel being barred from any. Israel has huge power in the West, especially in the US, UK, Germany and France. Russia is a pariah state in relation to Western countries.
The idea that Israel has huge power in the West is nonsense.
Great. Just throw them out. Israel is not a fitting country to have in a song contest when they are murdering children by the hundreds. Pariah state.
The Eurovision has songs entered by EBU member public tv stations.
It's not and never was a collection of governments or nations entering a song contest.
As a poster said above, Russia's affliiate channel was banned not the nation.
If RTE would take note of its dwindling perception amongst the Irish public they'd do well not to eventually fall into the Russian TV channel's fate.
Clowns.
I think it will turn out like last time.
Many Irish people will be left confused and saddened when they find out that the rest of the European public doesn't have the same hatred of Israel as they have.
Not living up to your username there.
Do you believe that Russia would be allowed enter, if a private station, outside government influence took control of the broadcasting the event? Also, no station in Israel would be allowed survive if it starting investigating or exposing the Israel military. Their government has already banned a number of foreign stations from broadcasting there.
https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/eurovision-organisers-back-israels-involvement-in-song-contest-after-rte-call-for-discussion/a429313127.html
Eurovision organisers are refusing to back down on their stance of including Israel after Bakhurst wrote to them.
The EBU said it will support the broadcaster Kan against the threat of being shut down by Netanyahu's government.
Going by their reasons for banning the Russian EBU affiliate a few years ago, I'd guess they wouldn't ban a tv channel which meets it's criteria from entering a song in a song contest.
The Israeli EBU broadcaster is actually under threat from it's own govt with closure.
People need to remember it's not nations/govts entering, it's tv channels.
RTE would be better advised to mind its own business (literally) and provide value for money to the licence payers, taxpayers and viewers. The tv licence is too high, the quality of programmes is very poor, there are too many adds and the government ie taxpayer is asked to gives too much to RTE every year.
The main sponsor, Moroccan oil is Israeli-owned.
Israel won’t be banned unfortunately, but I congratulate RTE on raising the issue. I would support Ireland withdrawing from the contest. People can do the tap dance about Russia, but we all know the reality. They were banned because they invaded Ukraine. Same with the sporting events they were banned from. Yet Israel gets away with wholesale slaughter.
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