The Spanish prime minister has called for Israel to be banned from the Eurovision Song Contest over its military action in Gaza.
Pedro Sánchez noted Russia has been banned from the contest since 2022 following its invasion of Ukraine, and said there should not be “double standards”.
Israel came second in the contest’s grand final in Switzerland on Saturday, but topped the public vote – with Spanish viewers giving Israel the maximum 12 points.
Israeli minister for diaspora affairs, Amichai Chikli, ridiculed Sánchez with a social media post that said the vote had been a “slap in the face” for the Spanish PM, “which we have heard here in Jerusalem”.
BBC News has asked Eurovision organisers the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) for comment.
Speaking at a news conference in Madrid, Sánchez said: “Nobody was up in arms when the Russian invasion of Ukraine began three years ago and [Russia] had to leave international competitions and could not take part, as we have just seen, in Eurovision.
“Therefore Israel shouldn’t either, because what we cannot allow is double standards in culture.”
He also expressed solidarity with “the people of Palestine who are experiencing the injustice of war and bombardment”.
“Spain’s commitment to international law and human rights must be constant and must be coherent,” he said. “Europe’s should be too.”
Sánchez and his government, which officially acknowledged a Palestinian state last year, have been harsh critics of Israel, and last week in Congress the prime minister referred to the country as “a genocidal state”.
Israel has strenuously denied accusations of genocide, and its foreign ministry summoned the Spanish ambassador for a formal reprimand over Sánchez’s “serious remarks”.
At Eurovision, Spain’s televote saw the country award Israel maximum points for its song New Day Will Rise by Yuval Raphael. Spain’s broadcast network RTVE has since requested an audit of the votes.
Ahead of the Eurovision final on Saturday, RTVE aired a message in support of Palestinians – despite being warned to avoid references to Gaza by the EBU.
Spain’s entry, Esa Diva by Melody, finished in 24th place on Saturday night in Basel.
By BBC News
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