A week ago, together with eight other Eurovision contestants, Silvester Belt caused a real storm among the contest's fans by issuing a joint statement expressing support for Palestine. A large part of the public wants Israel not to be allowed to enter the contest as the aggressor country in the never-ending conflict in the Middle East. The official position of the tender is that Israel will participate in the tender. He will be represented by a performer who has lived in Russia for many years and performed in occupied Crimea.
A week ago, the representatives of Lithuania, Ireland, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, Denmark and Finland issued a joint appeal in which they expressed support for the Palestinians.
"We want to emphasize that participating in Eurovision is a privilege. Given the current situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, especially in Gaza, but also in Israel, we do not feel comfortable remaining silent.
Solidarity with oppressed communities is important to us. We wish to express our sincere desire for peace, an immediate and lasting ceasefire and the release of the hostages being held. Together, we oppose all forms of hatred, including anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.
We believe in the unifying power of music to empower people to overcome differences and create meaningful conversations and connections.
We feel it is our responsibility to create and maintain this space where there is strong hope that inspires further empathy," Silvester Belt and other musicians wrote in a joint letter.
The letter and the current political situation fuel the debate that the representative of Israel should not be allowed to participate in Eurovision, on the grounds that the same was done to the representatives of Russia and Belarus. The organizers of the competition do not agree with such a comparison and allow the representative of Israel to participate.
Eden Golan, who represented Israel at Eurovision, lived in Russia for thirteen years and participated in talent contests there. in 2016 she performed in Russian-occupied Crimea.
A letter released by the contest states that inappropriate statements will not be tolerated, and organizers expect a "constructive conversation" from the audience.
"EBO understands the strong emotions raised by this year's Eurovision contest and the debates ignited by Israel's participation in it.
We would like to stress that decisions are the responsibility of the EBU and other organisations, not the individual performers.
We are strictly against any form of harassment, violence against participants, online or in the real world. We are committed to creating a safe, respectful and inclusive environment.
We advise you to seek a constructive conversation and support musicians, emphasizing the mission of the contest - to be united by music," the organizers of the contest wrote in an official letter.
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