With the release of the list of participating countries for Eurovision 2024 coming out later than usual this year, fans were left wondering what was causing the delay and that perhaps it had to do with Israel’s participation.

Anyone following Eurovision on social media in the previous two months will certainly have seen backlash towards the EBU about Israel’s continued involvement in the Eurovision Song Contest. Some fans have expressed their desire to see Israel withdraw from the event, while others have begun petitions to have the Israeli broadcaster (KAN) excluded.

A statement by the European Broadcasting Union to Belgian newspaper HLN makes it clear that there was never any doubt about Israel taking part in the 68th Eurovision Song Contest, set for May 2024 in Malmö.

In a statement from the EBU’s Press Office to HLN:

The Eurovision Song Contest is a competition for public broadcasters from all over Europe and the Middle East. It is a competition for broadcasters – not for governments – and the Israeli public broadcaster has been participating in the competition for fifty years.

The statement concludes by pointing out that the EBU has no intent to exclude Israel from Eurovision and points out that other international events have not banned the country either:

The EBU is a member-led organisation. The governing bodies of the EBU – led by the Board of Directors – represent the members. These authorities assessed the list of participants and decided that the Israeli public broadcaster complies with all competition rules. Together with 36 other channels, it can participate in the competition next year. […] At the moment there is an inclusive attitude towards Israeli participants in major competitions. […] The Eurovision Song Contest remains a non-political event, uniting audiences worldwide through music.

Eurovision 2024 will mark Israel’s 46th participation in the Eurovision Song Contest.