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Why is Israel still in Eurovision? The answer is more complex than you might think | Chris West
The war in Gaza means the European Broadcasting Union is risking its liberal reputation, but to ban Israel would be to undermine the organisation’s fundamental purpose, says author Chris West
The communications minister, Shlomo Karhi, previously put forward a proposal to this effect in 2023, accusing the network of biased coverage and claiming that it spoke in a “disgraceful manner” towards members of the government. After Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine the EBU made no move to ban Russia from Eurovision until participating nations changed from issuing statements and suggesting meaningful dialogue to saying they would quit – at which point action followed swiftly. In the long run, the EBU must either relinquish control of the song contest or change its mission so that protection (and development) of the Eurovision brand lies unambiguously at its heart.
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