In a May 11 commentary entitled: “Is it time for Eurovision to face the music over Israel’s participation?” by Isaac Würmann, in the LGBTQ+ publication Xtra Magazine, the author argued that Israel should be banned from participating in the Eurovision Song Contest. Würmann argued that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, that the Israeli contestant’s song is politically motivated, and that Eurovision should respect countries like Lebanon and Tunisia who refuse to participate if Israel is included. These arguments are built on shaky reasoning.
First, the article treats it as a fact that “a genocide wages on” in Gaza. This is a serious accusation and not something that should be taken lightly or repeated without strong evidence, to which Würmann offers none. Some organizations, such as Amnesty International, may be bending over backwards to update their definition of genocide to fit Israel’s military actions against Hamas, but only with significant creative license are they able to cobble together this argument. Genocide refers to the attempted extermination of a people, which by no metric is taking place in Gaza, no matter how much one rewrites definitions.
Second, Würmann argued that the Israeli contestant, Yuval Raphael, is performing a song that is political or provocative. That’s a difficult claim to support. The song entitled: “New Day Will Rise”, includes lyrics like “A new day will rise; life will go on; everyone cries; don’t cry alone.” These words don’t push a political agenda – they speak to the kind of emotional pain and hope that people everywhere can understand. The song is about resilience in the face of suffering. It doesn’t mention war, borders, enemies, or governments. To call this song a political statement is a stretch, especially when Eurovision has featured far more explicitly political songs from other countries in the past.
Würmann quoted a “Eurovision blogger” who claimed that Raphael’s song “can’t be construed as anything but political.” While the context of Raphael’s personal experience cannot be ignored – she hid among the bodies of her friends at the Nova festival for eight hours to escape Hamas machine gun fire and grenades – this does not mean her song is either political, or that it attempts to politicize her experience.
Third, Würmann believes that Eurovision should ban Israel because some countries, such as Lebanon and Tunisia, refuse to take part if Israel is present. That’s a troubling suggestion. Why should one country be excluded from a peaceful, cultural event just because some hostile powers refuse to participate? These boycotts are not about the content of Israel’s song or the behaviour of its contestants – they are about long-standing objections to the right of Jews to self-determination.
If Eurovision begins banning countries based on the objections of others, it stops being a space for cultural unity and becomes just another political battleground. Israel has continued to show up and perform peacefully, even when there are protests and audience backlash. That should be encouraged, not punished.
Eurovision has always aimed to be more than just a singing contest. It’s supposed to be a place where countries can come together and share their cultures, despite their differences. Israel has been part of that tradition for decades. Trying to remove them now sets a dangerous precedent: that cultural events should only include countries that meet a certain political approval. That’s not the spirit of Eurovision. And in 2025, Israel’s entry was a heartfelt ballad, not a protest song, not a political message – just a song about holding on and looking ahead. That kind of message is something the world needs more of, not less.
Despite Würmann’s protestations, it seems that fans of Eurovision disagree with his sentiments, given that Israel was the popular favourite of the general public receiving the top public vote and coming in 2nd place, with Austria winning the competition.
In the end, Würmann’s article pushed a view that plays to certain ideals of moral righteousness held most prominently by screaming protestors, but actually closed the door to conversation and understanding.
The idea of banning Israel unfairly targets Israeli citizens regardless of their personal political views. If Eurovision starts making political judgments about which countries are allowed to sing, then it loses what makes it special. It’s better to let the music play, and let people from every nation, including Israel, share their voices with the world.
