ISTANBUL

The head of Spain’s public broadcaster RTVE, Jose Pablo Lopez, criticized Eurovision Song Contest Director Martin Green on Thursday for issuing an open letter to fans that did not mention Gaza or Israel, despite what he called the “worst reputational crisis in the history of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).”

Green published the letter as the contest faces mounting tensions, with five national broadcasters—Spain, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Ireland, and Iceland—withdrawing in protest over Israel’s continued participation amid the Gaza war.

Lopez said the director’s message fell far short of addressing the gravity of the situation.

“Green does not mention Gaza or Israel in his letter. He speaks of ‘events’ in the Middle East that have moved him. Is genocide merely an ‘event’?” he wrote on US social media company X.

Lopez remarked that Green’s main reassurance to fans was that he “listens” to them, adding: “Apparently, that is the extent of his role: listening.”

He also criticized Green’s claim that “the past is the past” and that contest rules would be enforced from now on.

“What about Israel’s rule violations over the past two years? Have they simply been swept under the rug?” he asked, questioning whether EBU applies its rules selectively “according to its geopolitical and economic alliances.”

He further noted that on the same night new rules were adopted, Israeli officials publicly stated they had influenced delegations politically to secure the country’s continued presence in the competition. “What more are we going to see?” Lopez added.

In his letter, Green wrote that many fans wanted Eurovision to take a clear position on geopolitical issues, but insisted that “the only way the Eurovision Song Contest can continue to bring people together is by ensuring we are guided by our rules first and foremost.”

EBU members recently opted not to hold a vote on Israel’s participation in the 2026 contest, effectively allowing the country to remain.

In response, five public broadcasters, Spain’s RTVE, the Netherlands’ NPO, Slovenia’s RTVSLO, Ireland’s RTE, and Iceland’s RUV, announced that they were withdrawing from Eurovision in protest.