AhlulBayt News Agency: Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has called for Israel to be excluded from international cultural events, including the Eurovision Song Contest, due to its military actions in the Gaza Strip. His remarks were made during a news conference in Madrid on Monday, two days after Israel secured second place in the 2025 Eurovision grand final in Switzerland.
Sánchez stated that Israel should face the same consequences as Russia, which was banned from international competitions following its military operation in Ukraine in 2022. He emphasized that there should be no double standards in cultural events, arguing that Israel should also be barred from such competitions.
Expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people, Sánchez highlighted the suffering they endure amid ongoing war and bombardment. His comments followed a public statement by Spain’s national broadcaster RTVE, which posted a message on X declaring that "when human rights are at stake, silence is not an option" and advocating for "peace and justice for Palestine."
Ahead of the Eurovision final, various pro-Palestinian groups called on the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the event’s organizer, to exclude Israel from the competition due to its military actions in Gaza. Additionally, several former Eurovision contestants and some of the broadcasters supporting the contest voiced similar demands for Israel's removal.
Last year, Spain, alongside Norway and Ireland, officially recognized Palestine as a sovereign state, based on the pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Israel's military campaign in Gaza began on October 7, 2023, in response to Hamas’ Al-Aqsa Flood operation. More than 19 months into the conflict, Israel has yet to achieve its declared objectives despite extensive military actions. Reports indicate that at least 53,486 Palestinians, most of whom are women and children, have lost their lives, with another 121,398 injured in the ongoing violence.
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