Spanish minister accuses Eurovision of ‘whitewashing’ Gaza war by including Israel

Spain’s culture minister accused Eurovision organizers on Friday of using culture to “whitewash” Israel’s war in Gaza, criticizing the decision to allow Israel to participate in this year’s contest.

Ernest Urtasun told Euronews that the European Broadcasting Union’s (EBU) decision to include Israel in Eurovision was “wrong from the beginning.”

“The decision I would criticize, which I think is wrong, is the decision of the EBU board to allow Israel to participate,” Urtasun said.

The minister argued that the controversy surrounding this year’s Eurovision Song Contest stemmed not from music itself but from Israel’s participation amid the ongoing war in Gaza.

“It’s not music that is dividing people,” he said. “Music is a moment of celebration. Eurovision has always been a moment of celebration.”

Urtasun said international cultural events involving national representation could not ignore global conflicts and allegations related to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.

“When you have a contest where countries are represented, and you have both Russia and Israel with the current investigation by the ICC, you cannot turn a blind eye to that,” he said.

“And when you allow Israel to participate, you’re actually using culture to whitewash what is going on there.”

Spain has been among the strongest critics of Israel’s participation in international cultural events, with Madrid previously supporting efforts to suspend Israel from competitions and exhibitions.

Urtasun said Spain’s criticism targeted Eurovision organizers rather than countries that chose to remain in the contest.

“It’s not up to me to say whether a country is right or wrong in participating,” he said.

The comments came as pressure mounted on the EBU over Israel’s participation in Eurovision, with protests, broadcaster criticism, and political backlash overshadowing this year’s competition.

The EBU has defended Israel’s participation, saying Eurovision is a contest between broadcasters rather than governments.