Slovenian Culture Ministry backs broadcaster RTV’s Eurovision withdrawal over Israel

By Lejla Biogradlija Aksan and Merve Berker

Slovenia’s Culture Ministry on Monday voiced support for the country’s national public broadcaster’s decision to withdraw from the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest over Israel’s participation.

Earlier this month, broadcaster RTV Slovenia announced it would pull out of the competition after the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) cleared Israel to remain in the contest. RTV said the decision was made independently.

The ministry said it backs RTV’s decision and urged stronger diplomatic pressure on Israel, calling for an immediate end to abuses against Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.

– RTV: We cannot share the stage with a country that killed over 20,000 children

RTV Board Chair Natalija Gorscak previously told Anadolu that the broadcaster could not share the stage with Israel, which she said killed “more than 20,000 children and over 250 journalists.”

It is impossible to speak of music as a unifying force, she said, when performing alongside representatives of a regime that shows no respect for human rights.

“We are a public broadcaster, and we must uphold high ethical values,” she said.

Gorscak added that public broadcasters must act ethically and apply rules equally to all.

“We made our decision out of respect for the people of Gaza. History will prove we stood on the right side, we believe that,” she added.

Public broadcasters in Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland and Iceland have also announced plans to withdraw from the competition after the EBU voted to allow Israel to participate.

Israel’s participation in the contest has long been contentious. Following the last Eurovision in Basel, Switzerland, where Israel came close to winning, calls for its exclusion intensified amid the rising civilian death toll in Gaza.

Since October 2023, Israeli attacks in Gaza have killed more than 70,000 people, mostly women and children, and injured nearly 171,000 others. Several experts, including those appointed by a UN body, have said Israel’s actions in Gaza amount to genocide.

Russia was barred from Eurovision in 2022 over its actions in Ukraine, but the EBU has defended Israel’s participation, citing its commitment to inclusiveness and political neutrality.