Iceland urges Eurovision to suspend Israel's participation over Gaza war crimes

Iceland’s public broadcaster, RÚV, has confirmed it has raised concerns with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) over Israel’s participation in this year's Eurovision Song Contest.

The move comes after Iceland’s Foreign Minister Thorgerdur Katrin Gunnarsdottir told local media she believed Israel should not be allowed to participate, citing Israel’s ongoing war crimes in Gaza.

"As an ordinary citizen, I find it strange and unnatural that Israel is permitted to participate in Eurovision in light of its war crimes. Essentially, ethnic cleansing has taken place in recent weeks and months in Gaza," Gunnarsdottir told Icelandic news outlet Visir.

"I think Iceland should look into this and lobby within the European Broadcasting Union regarding Israel's participation," she added.

While the foreign minister said she did not support a boycott by Iceland itself, she urged her country to formally push for Israel’s exclusion through diplomatic channels.

"Iceland should send its delegation and not boycott Eurovision, but I do think that our country should consider the matter and lobby within the European Broadcasting Union," she said.

Rúnar Freyr Gíslason, the Icelandic media representative for the country’s Eurovision delegation, welcomed the comments. He confirmed that Iceland had now formally conveyed its concerns to EBU officials.

"We have said clearly that decisions and opinions on this matter should come from high levels of government. Now, finally, this unequivocal opinion is being expressed, and we have informed our colleagues at the EBU of this," Gíslason said.

RÚV is now the third national broadcaster to publicly object to Israel's participation in Eurovision, following Spain's RTVE and Slovenia's RTVSLO.

RTVE called for an internal EBU debate on Israel’s involvement, while RTVSLO passed a resolution demanding Israel's withdrawal from this year's contest.

Calls to ban Israel from Eurovision have intensified following its devastating war on Gaza, which has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and plunged the enclave into a humanitarian catastrophe.

Despite mounting opposition, Eurovision Director Martin Green has said there are no plans to block Israel’s participation. Israel’s contestant this year, Yuval Raphael, an alleged 7 October survivor, is set to perform a song about the aftermath of the Hamas-led attack, despite Eurovision's official ban on political messages.

In last year’s competition, Israeli singer Eden Golan came in fifth place amid widespread controversy. The Israeli delegation was accused of harassing contestants and journalists who criticised Israel's actions in Gaza.

The 2025 Eurovision Song Contest is scheduled to be held in Switzerland in May.