Singer Achinoam Nini, who represented Israel in the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest alongside Mira Awad, said Israel should withdraw from this year’s competition, arguing that the moment is not fitting for celebration amid suffering on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Her remarks came after the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation, KAN, and President Isaac Herzog worked for weeks to secure Israel’s participation following calls by some European figures to exclude the country.
In an interview with the BBC, Nini said that if she were serving on Israel’s Eurovision selection committee she would first thank the Eurovision community for resisting calls for a boycott, which she described as unjustified. She said she would then recommend that Israel voluntarily sit out the 2024 event.
“I would say, you know what, this year I will not participate of my own free will because so many people have suffered and are suffering in Palestine of course and also in Israel,” she said. “As a gesture of solidarity I think this is not the time to celebrate with glitter and feathers. We will return next year to celebrate real peace and justice based on mutual respect between Israelis and Palestinians.”
The list of participating countries is expected to close soon. A small wave of withdrawals has already begun, with Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland and Slovenia announcing they will not take part.