Israeli Consul Meets With Icelandic Public Broadcasting Over Eurovision Row

Israeli authorities are reportedly concerned about Iceland’s growing push to boycott Eurovision next year.

RÚV, Iceland’s public broadcasting, reports that Raphael Schutz, the Israeli consul to Iceland, had a meeting with RÚV’s Eurovision committee. As reported, over 25,000 Icelanders have signed a petition calling for Iceland to boycott the Eurovision competition next year, which will at the time be held in Israel.

Felix Bergsson, representing the Icelandic group, told reporters that Raphael was worried about Iceland’s interest in withdrawing.

“We just wanted to show him the courtesy of meeting with him, since he asked to,” Felix told reporters. “He just wanted to hear where we stand in all this. But mostly we were just listening.”

RÚV has not yet made any definitive decision about staying in or leaving the competition. That decision will be made this autumn.

“This has been discussed within the programming department and we will of course examine this issue,” RÚV programming director Skarphéðinn Guðmundsson told reporters. He added that they will have discussions with television stations in other Nordic countries before any decision is taken.

The drive to withdraw from Eurovision kicked off in Iceland in the wake of a bloody attack by Israeli soldiers on unarmed protesters in Gaza, killing 40 and wounding hundreds of others.