Eurovision 2024 winner Nemo backs calls for Israel's exclusion this year

The reigning champion of the Eurovision Song Contest has called for Israel’s exclusion from the competition slated to take place later this month in Switzerland.

In an interview with the UK’s edition of The Huffington Post this week, the Swiss singer said they support calls urging Israel’s being banned from taking part in the competition.

Nemo, who won Eurovision last year with 'The Code,' described Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip as being "fundamentally at odds with the values that Eurovision claims to uphold:  peace, unity, and respect for human rights".

Nemo added that they don’t feel that "it makes sense that Israel is a part of this Eurovision," as Israel continues to strike the Gaza Strip daily, killing scores of Palestinians every day while imposing a devastating siege on the enclave.

"I don’t know how much I want to get into detail, but I would say, I don’t support the fact that Israel is part of Eurovision at the moment," they said.

Singer Yuval Raphael’s participation in the competition has drawn widespread opposition from former contestants and pro-Palestinian activists. Israel's war in the Gaza Strip has remained ongoing for over 19 months, and has killed more than 52,800 Palestinians.

Raphael was present at the Nova music festival in southern Israel on 7 October, 2023, when Palestinian group Hamas launched a unprecedented attack on the area, triggering Israel’s military onslaught on the Palestinian enclave, which is now widely described as genocide.

In the lead up to the competition, due to take place between the 13-17 of May, several European broadcasters have called for discussions with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) – who organise and own Eurovision - on Israel’s participation.

Broadcasters from Spain, Ireland, Iceland and Slovenia raised concerns both this year and last year over Israel’s inclusion in Eurovision.

Earlier this month, over 70 former contestants signed an open letter addressed to the EBU urging to rethink's Israel's participation.

The signatories accused Israel's public broadcaster Kan of complicity in the "genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza".

Last year, the Eurovision Song Contest was shrouded in controversy following the participation of Eden Golan, despite strong opposition from pro-Palestinian activists.

The original lyrics for Golan’s entry also triggered controversy for referencing the 7 October attacks, prompting the EBU to request the song’s content to be amended, as political references as disallowed in songs. 

Her participation triggered widespread protests in the Swedish city of Malmo, where Eurovision was being held. Prior to the competition, many participants, including Nemo, released a joint statement calling for the condemnation of Israel's actions in Gaza and the West Bank, and a lasting ceasefire in the war-torn enclave.