Why is Israel allowed to take part in the Eurovision song contest?

Eurovision, the annual international music pageant watched and adored by millions of viewers around the world, begins this week despite boycotts over Israel’s participation. The televised final round of the music contest is scheduled to take place on May 16 in Austria’s capital, Vienna, this year and will mark Eurovision’s 70th anniversary. Recommended Stories list of 3 items end of list Israeli singer Noam Bettan will be representing the country in Vienna this year. He will perform a pop song called Michelle. But five countries – the Republic of Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain and Iceland – are boycotting this year’s contest due to Israel’s participation. They have cited Israel’s genocidal war on Palestinians in Gaza – which has so far killed at least 72,740 people – as the main reason. Besides these countries, more than 1,000 musicians and cultural workers have signed an open letter calling for others to boycott the contest. They have also criticised the contest’s organisers of hypocrisy, as Russia has been banned from participating due to its war in Ukraine. So, why is Israel allowed to participate in Eurovision? Here’s what we know: What is Eurovision? The Eurovision Song Contest, which began in 1956, is an annual event organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). According to the Eurovision website, the contest is co-produced by EBU and its member broadcasters, “most notably the public broadcaster of the preceding winning country, the Host Broadcaster”. …