Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said that the Eurovision song contest should exclude Israel over its war in Gaza, according to AFP.
Sanchez has also expressed solidarity with “the people of Palestine who are experiencing the injustice of war and bombardment.”
Sanchez’s remarks come after protests against Israeli participation marked last weekend’s extravaganza in Switzerland.
Russians have not been allowed to take part in the competition because of Russia’s invasion on Ukraine.
“Therefore, Israel shouldn’t either, because what we cannot allow is double standards in culture,” Sanchez said at an event in Madrid.
During his speech, the Spanish PM stressed Spain’s commitment to applying the international law and human rights nothing that “Europe’s should be too.”
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has recently warned participants to avoid any mentions or references to Gaza War.
However, Spanish public broadcaster RTVE aired a message in support of Palestinians ahead of the Eurovision final on Saturday.
Moreover, RTVE wrote to the EBU in April requesting a “debate” over Israeli participation in the contest amid its genocide in Gaza and blockade of humanitarian aid.
PM Calls Israel a “Genocidal State”
On Wednesday, Sanchez called Israel a “genocidal state” during his speech in the Spanish parliament on Wednesday, stating that Madrid “does not do business” with such a country.
The PM’s remarks came as a response to a provocative comment from an anti-Israel member of parliament who condemned Spain’s trade relations with what he called the “genocide state” of Israel.
Sanchez’s comments sparked anger in Israel, prompting Israel’s Foreign Ministry to summon the Spanish Ambassador, Ana Salomon, for a formal reprimand scheduled for Thursday in Jerusalem.
“Following the severe remarks made by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, the Spanish ambassador to Israel has been summoned for a reprimand meeting at the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem tomorrow,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
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