Ben Pawlowski
SPAIN’S prime minister Pedro Sanchez weighed in on the debate over Israel’s controversial participation in Eurovision on Monday, calling for the country to be kicked out of the song contest ‘in solidarity with the people of Palestine’.
Speaking at the launch of a cultural report in Madrid, Sanchez accused the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) – the producers and organisers of the Eurovision Song Contest – of perpetuating a ‘double standard’ by allowing Israel to compete.
Sanchez compared the situation to 2022 when Russia was booted out of the song contest following the invasion of Ukraine.
“Nobody put their hands to their heads when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began three years ago and they were asked to leave international competitions and also not to participate, as we have seen recently, in Eurovision. Therefore, neither should Israel,” Sanchez said.
He added: “Israel should not be allowed [to participate] because what we cannot allow is double standards.
READ MORE: Israel summons Spanish ambassador after PM Pedro Sanchez calls country a ‘genocidal state’
“Spain’s commitment to international legality and human rights must be constant and must be consistent, including in Europe.”
Sanchez has been an outspoken critic of Benjamin Netanyahu’s Israeli government ever since the country began an intensive bombing campaign and ground invasion of the Gaza Strip following the October 7 attacks in 2023 in which over 1,200 Israelis were slaughtered by Hamas terrorists.
Sanchez’s latest intervention comes just days after the Spanish premier labelled Israel as a ‘genocidal state’ during a parliamentary session.
Amnesty International and a UN Special Committee are among a host of human rights organisations to have accused Israel of committing a genocide in Gaza, where over 52,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel’s operations, according to figures from the Palestinian health ministry.
The comments provoked widespread anger within Israel, with the foreign ministry handing a formal reprimand to Ana Maria Salomon Perez, the Spanish ambassador.
Relations between the two countries have been strained ever since Spain joined Ireland and Norway in May 2024 by handing formal diplomatic recognition to the Palestinian Authority in a move which Sanchez described as ‘historic’ and insisted would ‘contribute to the achievement of peace between Israelis and Palestinians’.
“Recognising the state of Palestine is not only a matter of historical justice, it is a necessity to achieve peace,” Sanchez said during a televised address from La Moncloa at the time.
In response, Israel Katz, Israel’s then-foreign minister and current defence minister, accused Sanchez and his deputy Yolanda Diaz of being ‘accomplices in inciting the murder of the Jewish people’.
Israel was represented by singer Yuval Raphael in Saturday’s final, a survivor of the attack on the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023. The country finished a narrow second to eventual winners Austria, represented by Johannes Pietsch, known by the stage name JJ.
For the second year in a row, Israel’s participation in the contest, watched by over 150 million people worldwide, was a source of immense controversy.
A number of Palestinian flags were seen in the crowd during the final, two pro-Palestinian protestors were pinned down by security after attempting to disrupt the Israeli performance, whilst BBC broadcaster Graham Norton, who provides commentary for Britain’s Eurovision coverage, suggested that crowd noise had been edited to mask boos and jeers during Raphael’s performance.
RTVE, the Spanish state broadcaster, has asked the EBU for an audit to clarify how the Spanish televote was distributed. Spain handed the maximum twelve points to Israel.
According to El País, officials at RTVE have expressed ‘doubts’ over the validity of the results.
The broadcaster also issued a message of support for Palestinians ahead of its coverage. The message ‘In the face of human rights, silence is not an option. Peace and justice for Palestine,’ was shown on televisions across Spain.
During the broadcast, commentators Julia Varela and Tony Aguila referenced a petition handed to the EBU by the network, asking the body to reconsider Israel’s participation in the song contest.
Melody, Spain’s entry for the contest in Basel, Switzerland, was left disappointed after ranking 24th among the 26 participating countries, only ahead of minnows Iceland and San Marino.
In an interview with RTVE, Melody’s father expressed confusion at the high number of public votes for Israel.
Pedro Sánchez And Israel. The jaw-dropping hypocrisy of this politician beggars belief. No mention of the Hamas atrocities, not a word for the hostages still rotting in captivity. And Mr Pawlowski is quite content to doze along with the standard report. Perhaps he might come nearer to an “eye-opening exclusive” if he paid more attention to the work of some of his more inquisitive colleagues who are suggesting that perhaps the whole anti-Israel diatribe in Herr Sanchez’ noble quest to banish “double standards” is constructed as a smoke screen to mask huge allegations of corruption. Perhaps the O. P. is being cautious in not commenting too closely on Spanish politics, but of course slagging off Israel is always fair game.