"RTÉ 2 will air the popular sitcom's Eurovision-themed episode A Song For Europe, where priests Ted and Dougal perform My Lovely Horse, as part of its boycott of the contest over Israel's participation. Ireland, Spain and Slovenia have not sent competitor to the 70th iteration of the song competition in protest against Israel's war in Gaza, and will not broadcast the final. The Netherlands and Iceland are also not sending acts to compete in Eurovision but will be air the final."
"The boycott came about after members attended a European Broadcasting Union (EBU) general assembly in Geneva to vote on changes, which included new rules to deter countries from organising campaigns for their acts following concerns around the number of public votes Israel received in 2025. Israeli singer Yuval Raphael received the largest number of votes from the public last May, ultimately finishing as runner-up after the jury votes were taken into account. After the 2025 competition, RTÉ requested a breakdown in voting numbers from the EBU while Spain's public broadcaster, Radio Television Espanola (RTVE), called for a "complete review" of the voting system to avoid "external interference"."
"The Hamas-run health ministry estimates that 72,300 Palestinians have been killed during Israel's war in Gaza following the Hamas attack on October 7 2023. Russia was banned from Eurovision after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 but Israel has continued to compete. Alternative programming will also be shown on RTÉ2 during the semi-finals on Tuesday and Thursday. The Slovenian broadcaster will air a series of documentaries on the Middle East under the theme Voices of Palestine."
RTÉ 2 will broadcast a Eurovision-themed sitcom episode featuring priests Ted and Dougal performing “My Lovely Horse” as part of a boycott of the contest over Israel’s participation. Ireland, Spain, and Slovenia will not send competitors to the 70th Eurovision Song Contest and will not broadcast the final. The Netherlands and Iceland will not compete but will air the final. Russia was banned from Eurovision after its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, while Israel has continued to compete. The Hamas-run health ministry estimates 72,300 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s war in Gaza since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack. The boycott followed votes at a European Broadcasting Union general assembly in Geneva, including new rules aimed at deterring campaigns for acts after concerns about public voting for Israel in 2025. RTÉ requested voting breakdowns after 2025, and Spain called for a complete review of the voting system. Alternative programming will air during the semi-finals, and Slovenia will broadcast documentaries under “Voices of Palestine.”
Read at Irish Independent
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