Over 1,000 Entertainment Figures — Including Gene Simmons and Amy Schumer — Reject Eurovision Israel Boycott

Netta, of Israel, celebrates after winning the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest grand final in Lisbon, Portugal. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

More than 1,000 entertainment figures have signed a letter rejecting an Israel boycott and pushing for the country’s continued inclusion in the Eurovision Song Contest.

Multiple countries, including Ireland, Iceland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Spain, have announced withdrawals from the song competition over Israel’s inclusion.

This will be the 70th Eurovision Song Contest, which is set to take place in Vienna in May.

The open letter against the boycotts was signed by Gene Simmons, Scooter Braun, Amy Schumer, Sharon Osbourne, and others. An initial letter included 400 signatures, and that number has now climbed to over 1,000.

“The letter comes in response to others who have demanded that Israel be disinvited from the contest. The letter highlights Eurovision’s unique ability to unify people from diverse backgrounds and music’s capacity to effect positive change in the world. The letter states that the annual event, with more viewers than the Super Bowl, is a celebration of unity and should not be used as a tool for politics,” a press release from the non-profit group Creative Community for Peace reads.

Campaigns calling for the removal of Israel from the contest cite the country’s conduct in global conflicts, like its strikes on Gaza in its war against Hamas.

Spain was the most notable country to boycott the contest. The country’s national broadcaster also said they will not be airing the event. Spain is considered one of the “big five” in the Eurovision contest. They, along with France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom, are sent straight to the Grand Final event each time. These countries are all the biggest financial sponsors of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organizes the annual music event.

“Music unites people from all backgrounds. It’s the one language that everyone can understand. It’s a beautiful thing and a great way to bring people together. Those advocating to exclude an Israeli singer from Eurovision don’t move the needle towards peace, but only further divide the world,” Simmons said in a statement.

Osbourne said in her own statement that musicians are being “dragged into the angry, misinformed politics of the moment.”

“Attempts to exclude Israelis from the international stage twist art into a tool of division and erode the shared humanity that the arts are meant to preserve. I’ve watched this play out for over three years, and it just breaks my heart,” she wrote.

Other entertainment figures who signed the open letter in support of Israel include Mila Kunis, Jerry O’Connell, Helen Mirren, Liev Schreiber, Boy George, and others.

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