The presence of representations of the State of Israel in public life is increasingly discussed and conflicting. After the Massive protest in Madrid During the end of the cycling return to Spain last Sunday (as a culmination of a long series of protests throughout the state), it is now the turn of Eurovision: RTVE has officially decided that Spain will retire from Eurovision 2026 If the European Broadcasting Union (UER) does not vein Israel’s participation. A decision that is a political statement, but above all, a reflection of an increasingly clamorous state of opinion.
What happened. The decision of the Board of Directors of RTVE was approved with 10 votes in favor, 4 against and 1 abstention. The proposal was from the president of RTVE, José Pablo López, and is an unpublished political measure. The motivation, according to RTVE, is the Israeli offensive in Gaza and the context of serious human rights violations that many sectors of the government consider that Israel uses for propaganda, which Eurovision as a contest should avoid.
The fifths. Spain thus becomes the fifth country, and the First of the so -called “Big Five” (The five main financiers of the festival: Germany, Spain, France, Italy and the United Kingdom) that takes this step. Other European public televisions such as Ireland, Netherlands, Slovenia and Iceland have already announced similar movements. RTVE thus breaks the historical presence of Spain in Eurovision, which had been participating uninterruptedly since 1961.
And what remains. Some analysts talk about this decision from Spain and their persistent with the Big Five could trigger a domino effect, and generate similar positions in Belgium, Denmark, Iceland, Finland and Norway. In others, such as France, there is already parliamentary pressure to take this step (and has a Eurovisive boycott history to Israel). If the movement continued advancing, there would be a unique situation: Eurovision would be fragmented in geopolitical blocks.
There are those who feel a precedent of this situation in the expulsion from Russia of the contest after the invasion of Ukraine, but it is not exactly the same: the decision to resign if Israel participates is not a punishment, a sanction, as was the case with Russia, but rather a declaration of principles and rejection of the policies of a country.
The tension is chewed. This movement is not new or spontaneous: RTVE, Ireland, Slovenia and Iceland carried from spring asking that Eurovision made it clear whether Israel participated or not. And in July, the partners met in London and it was decided that this year the deadline would be extended in mid -December for countries to definitely decide who presented themselves. The Uuer has clarified that there will be no sanctions for those who retire, but the situation is tense: Yesterday the news jumped in Israeli media that Eurovision recommended the country to retire or compete under neutral flag. And yesterday, Eurovision He denied that proposal.
The reasons. And why all this issue raises so many blisters? The money, of course. As we talk about the return, the economic trail points to endless interest that are those that, ultimately, keep organizations such as the UER. He Televoto promoted by Israel It is economically very juicy, because of how active and committed its voters, although there has been Handling suspicionssince the system allows up to 20 votes for each telephone line. And in addition, the main sponsor of the festival is the brand of cosmetics of Israeli roots (although founded in Canada) Moroccanoil.
Currently, the situation is of tense calm: Germany, Italy, Austria, Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Greece and Switzerland support Israel’s presence, but there are other countries, such as Sweden, Denmark and Poland that already launched Navigators notices About the decision they will have to make in December. Eurovision is far from danger, but the concord among its members seems broken definitively.
Header | RTVE
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings