Eurovision winner JJ calls for exclusion of Israel from next year’s contest
'It's very disappointing to see Israel still participating in competition,’ says JJ
Protesters rally in Basel against Israel's Eurovision participation
ATHENS
Eurovision winner JJ, whose real name is Johannes Pietsch, called for the exclusion of Israel from next year’s contest, Spanish media reported on Wednesday.
Underlining that the Eurovision needs some revisions, JJ said: “Specifically, it needs to make changes to the voting system and who participates in the contest.”
“It's very disappointing to see Israel still participating in the competition. I would like Eurovision to be held in Vienna next year, without Israel. But the ball is in the EBU's (European Broadcasting Union) court. We, the artists, can only speak out on the matter,” he said.
On Thursday, Dutch public broadcaster AVROTROS questioned whether the Eurovision Song Contest remains apolitical in light of Israel’s participation amid the war in Gaza.
"The participation of Israel – in the current context – confronts us with the broader question to what extent the Eurovision Song Contest still functions as a truly apolitical, unifying cultural event," Leonie van der Mark, a spokeswoman for the broadcaster, told Anadolu.
On Monday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanche called for Israel’s exclusion from Eurovision and other international competitions, noting that Russia was banned from the contest over its war in Ukraine.
“We cannot allow double standards in culture,” he said.
