Graham Norton says Eurovision in ‘an impossible situation’ amid calls to exclude Israel from contest

Graham Norton has said Eurovision organisers are in an “impossible situation” following calls to bar Israel from participating in the event amid the Israel-Gaza war.

This year’s Eurovision is set to place in Sweden in May with preparations already underway and organisers facing increasing pressure to take action against the nation.

Just this week, pro-Israel organisation Creative Community for Peace, which works to counter antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment in the entertainment industry, issued an open letter denouncing those looking to take issue with Israel entering the competition as “subverting the spirit of the Contest and turning it from a celebration of unity into a tool of politics”.

British stars including Dame Helen Mirren, Tracy-Ann Oberman, Boy George and Sharon Osbourne are among those who have signed the open letter while representing the US signatories are Liev Schreiber, Gene Simmons, Scooter Braun, Mayim Bialik, Debra Messing, and Emmy Rossum.

In light of the move, the BBC Eurovision commentator shared his “surprise” over Israel’s want to participate amid the backlash as organisers attempt to keep “politics out” of the annual event.

Speaking to the Evening Standard at the 2024 Attitude 101 lunch, Norton said: “It’s difficult, isn’t it? Because the Eurovision always says, ‘it’s not a political contest’ and everyone wants to keep politics out – and then things like this happen and then people want to bring politics in.

“So, they’re in a kind of an impossible situation.”

Adding: “I’m sort of surprised Israel still want to do it this year, but you know, that’s up to them, it’s up to the EU.”

In December, contest organisers rejected calls for Israel to be removed and has not changed its stance since.

However, countries have faced exclusion from the contest before. In 2022, Russia was barred from participating with organisers saying its entry “would bring the competition into disrepute” after its invasion of Ukraine. The nation didn’t compete last year.

Israel launched an attack on Gaza in response to Hamas militants killing around 1,200 Israelis and taking 250 people hostage on October 7.

In the conflict, the Israeli military has caused the deaths of at least 28,000 people, displaced over 85pc of the Palestinian population, and destroyed more than half of Gaza’s infrastructure.

The Eurovision Song Contest will take place in Malmö, after Sweden’s entry Loreen won the competition for a second time. Olly Alexander will represent the UK.

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