Slovenian broadcaster seeks to ban Israel from Eurovision 2025 due to Gaza War

Slovenia’s state broadcaster officially submitted a letter to the European Broadcasting Union, calling for the banning Israel from Eurovision 2025 due to the ongoing Hamas-initiated Gaza War.

The next Eurovision event is scheduled to be held in the Swiss city of Basel after Switzerland won the competition in 2024.

The small European country Slovenia has increasingly embraced policies that are perceived by Israel as hostile towards them amid the ongoing conflict with Iran and its terrorist proxies Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis.

In late May, Slovenia joined Ireland, Norway and Spain in unilaterally recognizing “Palestine” as a de facto state despite strong objections from the Israeli government.

“The government has made a decision to recognize the State of Palestine as an independent and sovereign state within the borders from 1967, or the borders that the parties involved should agree on in a future peace agreement,” Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob announced.

Jerusalem condemned this diplomatic move as a massive reward for anti-Israel terrorism and the Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, massacre of over 1,200 Israeli men, women and children.

Furthermore, the Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) stresses the need for consensual and not unilateral steps. In addition, the Palestinian Authority (PA) – the governing body formed from the Oslo Accords – currently lacks the formal definitions of statehood including clearly defined borders and efficient control over a specific population within this territory.

However, the Slovenian prime minister denied that Slovenia’s recognition of Palestine was a hostile act towards Israel.

“The message of recognition is not directed against anyone,” Golob claimed, “It is a message of peace. We believe that today the moment has come when we all – the whole world – must act ... in a manner that brings lasting peace in the Middle East,” the Slovenian leader added.

Slovenian Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon also defended the decision to recognize Palestine, which was formally marked by displaying the PA's flag next to the flags of Slovenia and the European Union outside the national parliament building in the capital Ljubljana.

“The recognition of Palestine is the only way for the two countries and peoples to coexist in peace. The number of like-minded European countries is growing, which is a clear sign that the EU is assuming a more active role in the resolution of this conflict,” Fajon argued.

While Slovenia officially presents itself as a neutral country concerning Middle Eastern affairs, it has also announced that it will comply with the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) controversial arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged “war crimes” in the war against the terrorist organization Hamas in Gaza.

Furthermore, Slovenia has also backed the International Court of Justice’s legal proceedings where Israel is accused of committing genocide in Gaza. Israel, the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom have all strongly rejected these accusations.

Israel faced intense hostility during this year’s Eurovision contest in Sweden with anti-Israel activists demanding a boycott against Israel due to its defensive war against the terrorist organization Hamas. Despite receiving death threats, Israeli singer Eden Golan secured a respectable fifth place during the Eurovision song contest in May.

“I don't have words. I’m so happy,” Golan said after the competition. “We got to a crazy place, that’s our victory. It’s a great privilege to be here and to represent the nation,” she added.