How Israel Turned Eurovision’s Stage Into a Soft Power Tool
Israel’s efforts to influence Eurovision’s vote were broader and started years earlier than previously known.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/11/world/europe/eurovision-israel-gaza-netanyahu.html?unlocked_article_code=1.hlA.B3JP.iCvXG8Wz9wmC&smid=url-share

from #NewYorkTimes #NYT
[gift article]
May 11, 2026

Last fall and winter, senior Israeli diplomats urgently contacted officials and television broadcasters across #Europe to address a delicate, if unexpected topic: the high camp #EurovisionSongContest.

Broadcasters wanted to ban #Israel from Eurovision and threatened to #boycott the contest over the war in #Gaza. Some even accused the Israeli government of unfairly influencing the results through a mass voting campaign.

Israel arguably had bigger diplomatic concerns than a pop music competition, even one that reaches 166 million viewers around the world. A United Nations commission had recently accused Israel of committing genocide, which it vigorously denied.

#SanctionIsrael
#SolidarityWithPalestine
#news #politics #Palestine