Spain’s boycott of the Eurovision song contest over Israel’s war in Gaza puts it “on the right side of history”, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said on Friday, ahead of the final in Austria.
“In the face of illegal war and also genocide, silence is not an option. And we cannot remain indifferent to what continues to happen in Gaza and in Lebanon,” Sánchez said in a video message posted on X.
“This year, therefore, will indeed be different. We will not be in Vienna, but we will do so with the conviction that we are on the right side of history.”
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Spain is one of the top financial contributors to Eurovision, the international song contest organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).
Israel’s KAN public broadcaster is in the EBU, so Israeli acts participate in the event.
Spain is boycotting the event this year along with Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands and Slovenia over Israel’s conduct in the war in Gaza, which was launched in retaliation for the October 7, 2023, attack in Israel by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas.
The countries’ position reflects a view that Israel reacted with disproportionate deadly force against Gaza’s civilian population.
The International Criminal Court in 2024 issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Nethanyahu on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Israel’s offensive, including by intentionally targeting civilians and using starvation as a method of war.
Sánchez, in his video, drew a parallel with Israel’s war in Gaza and Russia’s war on Ukraine.
“When Russia invaded Ukraine, it was excluded from the contest and Spain supported that decision,” he said.
He added: “Those principles must also be applied when we talk about Israel. There cannot be double standards.”
The Eurovision finals typically reach more than 150 million viewers around the world. Israel’s act will be among those competing in the competition on Saturday.
