Ahead of the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest semi-finals, in which Israel will participate, Amnesty International’s Secretary General, Agnès Callamard, said:
“The failure of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to suspend Israel from Eurovision, as it did with Russia, is an act of cowardice and an illustration of blatant double standards when it comes to Israel.
Songs and sequins must not be allowed to drown out or distract from Israel’s atrocities or Palestinian suffering
Agnès Callamard, Secretary General, Amnesty International
“Instead of sending a clear message that there is a cost for Israel’s atrocity crimes against the Palestinian people, the EBU has given Israel this international stage even as it continues to commit genocide in Gaza, unlawful occupation and apartheid. The European Broadcasting Union is betraying the values of the Eurovision Song Contest, which include freedom from intolerance, hate speech and discrimination. It is also ignoring the protests by its members from Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Iceland, who withdrew from the contest because of Israel’s participation. Ultimately, the EBU has betrayed humanity.
“Israeli participation in the Eurovision Song Contest offers the country a platform to try to deflect attention from and normalize its ongoing genocide in the occupied Gaza strip, and its moves towards further annexation of Gaza and the West Bank including East Jerusalem, as well as its system of apartheid against Palestinians.
There should be no stage for Israel at Eurovision while there is an ongoing genocide
Agnès Callamard, Secretary General, Amnesty International
“Decisions and opinions by international courts, and resolutions by the United Nations General Assembly and the United Nations Security Council, over the last decades, have repeatedly condemned Israel for its multiple and egregious violations.
“Songs and sequins must not be allowed to drown out or distract from Israel’s atrocities or Palestinian suffering. There should be no stage for Israel at Eurovision while there is an ongoing genocide.
“Israel’s impunity can no longer be tolerated, and people everywhere must act in accordance with their conscience and stand up for human rights.”
Background
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) is the organizing body behind Eurovision Song Contest. In December 2025, public broadcasters in Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Slovenia and Iceland announced they would not be participating in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest in response to Israel’s participation in the show. The final of the contest will take place in Vienna on 16 May with two semi-finals on 12 and 14 May.
Amnesty International’s ongoing research shows that, despite the October 2025 ceasefire agreement, Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in Gaza is continuing. Israeli forces are still deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about their physical destruction and have conducted airstrikes killing over 760 Palestinians since then, with no evidence to indicate that Israel’s intent has changed.