Alex Trelinski
SPAIN’S state broadcaster, RTVE, has contacted Eurovision Song Contest organisers in a call for talks over whether Israel should be allowed to take part in May’s event in Basel, Switzerland.
RTVE director general, Jose Pablo Lopez, has written to the European Broadcasting Union(EBU) and its director general, Noel Curran, wanting a discussion over the issue.
Israel’s representative will be Yuval Raphael, a 24-year-old survivor of the Hamas terrorist attack in October 2023.
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The entry, New Day Will Rise, refers indirectly to the conflict with the lyrics: “A new day will dawn, life will go on. The darkness will fade, all the pain will pass, but we will stay.”
The EBU has asked for lyric changes in songs from Finland and Malta which had sexual connotations.
The RTVE letter to Noel Curran states: “RTVE conveys to the EBU 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 television KAN in the contest.”
“RTVE considers that it would be appropriate for the EBU to recognise the existence of this debate and facilitate some time for reflection among the broadcasters that are part of the contest.”
In February, RTVE’s chief, Jose Pablo Lopez had to comment on the contest in response to a question from the far-left Sumar party parliamentarian Francisco Sierra over Israel’s participation in the contest.
He said he would seek a unified position from the RTVE board and communicate its position to the EBU.
He stated that the EBU is an independent authority that reaches decisions separately from its member radio and television stations.
No EBU member countries have so far called for Israel to withdraw, which was not the case last year.
