The European Song Contest "Eurovision" faces a threat of collapse due to the increasing number of countries withdrawing in protest of allowing Israel to participate in the contest, according to American journalist specializing in European affairs, Dave Keating.
Keating reported that the European Broadcasting Union will not be able to make the necessary reforms to ensure the return of the countries that withdrew from the contest.
Recently, five European countries - Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Slovenia, and Iceland - officially announced their withdrawal from the European Song Contest in protest of allowing Israel to participate, shortly after the European Broadcasting Union announced its decision on the matter.
Keating pointed out that the withdrawals from the contest were not only due to the situation in the Gaza Strip but were also influenced by the controversy surrounding the "politicization of the voting process".
Funded Campaigns
Keating added, "Last year, Israel ranked first in the public vote and scored very high in the year before. Since the song last year or in the latest contest did not perform well on 'Spotify', this raised suspicions among many, as nobody was really listening to that song."
The journalist mentioned that the Israeli government paid a consulting firm to manage a campaign asking people to vote for Israel as a form of political support.
He continued, "I have friends in the United States who received these text messages, even though the United States does not broadcast the Eurovision contest, and almost no one there knows what this event is about. Yet, I have some friends who voted for Israel even though they have never watched this contest in their lives."
Keating pointed out that by doing so, Israel engaged in the "politicization of voting," noting that the Israeli government did not literally violate the written rules, but it violated the "spirit of the contest."
He also mentioned that the European Broadcasting Union, despite warnings from many countries, did not make the required updates on voting rules and campaigns. He continued, "The reason for this is that the European Broadcasting Union does not want to appear as if it is saying that Israel made a mistake."
Crisis of Finding Participants
The spokesperson mentioned that participating countries would face difficulty finding singers to send to the contest in the next phase. He stated that 16 singers who competed to represent Portugal in "Eurovision" announced that they would refuse to participate in the contest if selected and represent their country with Israel present.
Keating confirmed that this situation might be repeated in other participating countries like Sweden, which is considered a "cornerstone" in Eurovision. He warned, "If Sweden does not participate in the Eurovision 2026 contest, it will completely end."
He mentioned that the Eurovision song contest is the most-watched television event globally after sports events, and it is the only widespread cultural event held without the participation of the United States.
He added, "If Europe loses the Eurovision contest due to discussions related to Israel, it will be a very big loss and truly regrettable."
Artistic Outrage
170 Belgian artists condemned the decision of the Belgian broadcasting and television authority to participate in the European Song Contest "Eurovision 2026", against the backdrop of Israel's participation.
In May 2023, approximately 4,000 artists from 5 Scandinavian countries (Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland, and Finland) - among them artists who had previously participated in the contest - called for the exclusion of Israel, considering its participation a "polish" on the genocide committed in the Gaza Strip.
It is worth noting that the Israeli war of genocide in the Gaza Strip, which began on October 8, 2023, and lasted for two years, left more than 70,000 martyrs and over 171,000 wounded, most of them children and women.
