Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands and Iceland are also boycotting the Eurovision because of Israel’s participation.

In the meantime Israel’s  representative singer Noam Bettan left Israel on Friday for Vienna.

The song contest is scheduled for May 12–16.

 

Slovenia has announced that it would not broadcast the Eurovision song contest, scheduled for May 12–16 in Vienna. Instead of the world’s largest live music event, the Slovenian television network RTV will broadcast the film series “Voices of Palestine,” consisting of Palestinian documentaries and feature films.

Slovenia, along with Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Iceland, had announced their decision to withdrawal from the 70th edition of the contest due to the decision to allow Israel to participate.

The Spanish broadcaster RTVE reiterated last week its decision not to broadcast the contest, for the first time since it began participating annually in 1961. On the Irish side, the decision not to broadcast the event or participate in it was made back in December.

In the meantime Israel’s  representative singer Noam Bettan left Israel on Friday for Vienna. He  compete in the first semifinal scheduled for May 12 in the Wiener Stadthalle, Vienna’s iconic venue that will host the contest., with his song “Michelle.”

Accompanied by his dancers, delegation members and officials from Israel’s public broadcaster KAN, the artist took off from Ben Gurion Airport under heightened security. This precaution stems from tensions surrounding Israel’s participation in the event, as protests are expected in the Austrian capital.

In a video message released before his departure, Noam Bettan expressed his gratitude to the Israeli public. “Thank you to all the people of Israel for your love,” he said, noting that he had felt “the greatest support” of his life over the past few months. “I am proud to represent our country, and I promise we will do everything we can to live up to expectations,” he added.

Despite these tensions, the Israeli delegation is showing its determination to participate fully in the event. Eurovision is usually a symbol of cultural diversity and unity.