Slovenia’s Culture Minister Backs State Broadcaster’s Eurovision Withdrawal over Israel

December 15, 2025 News
A Palestinian flag was displayed during the performance by the Israeli singer at Eurovision.(Photo: video grab)

Public broadcasters in Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland and Iceland have also announced plans to withdraw from the competition over Israel’s participation.

Slovenia’s Culture Ministry on Monday voiced support for the country’s national public broadcaster’s decision to withdraw from the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest over Israel’s participation, the Anadolu news agency reported.

Earlier this month, broadcaster RTV Slovenia announced it would pull out of the competition after the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) cleared Israel to remain in the contest. RTV said the decision was made independently.

The ministry said it backs RTV’s decision and urged stronger diplomatic pressure on Israel, calling for an immediate end to abuses against Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.

‘High Ethical Values’

RTV Board Chair Natalija Gorscak previously told Anadolu that the broadcaster could not share the stage with Israel, which she said killed “more than 20,000 children and over 250 journalists.”

It is impossible to speak of music as a unifying force, she said, when performing alongside representatives of a regime that shows no respect for human rights.

“We are a public broadcaster, and we must uphold high ethical values,” she said.

Gorscak added that public broadcasters must act ethically and apply rules equally to all.

“We made our decision out of respect for the people of Gaza. History will prove we stood on the right side, we believe that,” she added.

Public broadcasters in Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland and Iceland have also announced plans to withdraw from the competition after the EBU voted to allow Israel to participate.

2024 Winner’s Protest

On Thursday, Eurovision 2024 winner Nemo announced his intention to return his winning trophy to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), saying Israel’s continued participation in the contest contradicts its stated principles.

“Eurovision says it stands for unity, inclusion, and dignity for all. Those values made this contest meaningful to me,” the Swiss singer said in a post on Instagram. “But Israel’s continued participation, during what the UN’s Independent International Commission of Inquiry has concluded to be a genocide, shows a clear conflict between those ideals and the decisions made by the EBU.”

Eurovision Winner to Return Trophy over Israel’s ‘Continued Participation’

Israel’s participation in the contest has long been contentious. Following the last Eurovision in Basel, Switzerland, where Israel came close to winning, calls for its exclusion intensified amid the rising civilian death toll in Gaza.

Russia was barred from Eurovision in 2022 over its actions in Ukraine, but the EBU has defended Israel’s participation, citing its commitment to inclusiveness and political neutrality.

Staggering Gaza Death Toll

Starting on October 7, 2023, the Israeli military, with American support, launched a genocidal war against the people of Gaza. This campaign has so far resulted in the deaths of over 70,000 Palestinians, with more than 170,000 wounded. The vast majority of the population has been displaced, and the destruction of infrastructure is unprecedented since World War II. Thousands of people are still missing.

In addition to the military assault, the Israeli blockade has caused a man-made famine, leading to the deaths of hundreds of Palestinians—mostly children—with hundreds of thousands more at risk.

Despite widespread international condemnation, little has been done to hold Israel accountable. The nation is currently under investigation for genocide by the International Court of Justice, while accused war criminals, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, are officially wanted by the International Criminal Court.

(PC, Anadolu)

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