Criticism of JJ: Danielle Spera warns of hostility to Israel in the ESC!

Criticism of JJ: Danielle Spera warns of hostility to Israel in the ESC!

The controversy around the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) and the participation of Israel are increasing. Danielle Spera, the former head of the Jewish Museum, commented on the current developments in an interview with OE24.TV. She criticized the Austrian ESC winner JJ, who had asked to align the contest 2026 in Vienna without Israel. In her opinion, the equation of Israel with Russia is "absurd" and an expression of clear Israel hostility. In an interview, JJ had described Israel and Russia as "aggressors" and called for their exclusion from the ESC participation, which finally led to a shitstorm and made him speak of a misunderstanding.

Spera made it clear in conversation that Israel was brutally attacked by Hamas on October 7, 2023, which resulted in over 1,200 deaths. She criticized the perception of the conflict and emphasized that Israel defends itself against a terrorist organization. Against this background, she asked the question of why there was hardly any criticism of Egypt or Hamas in the public debate. These views are also repeated in the reactions to the Eurovision Song Contest 2025, in which Israel is again the focus of intensive discussions.

The Eurovision Song Contest and Israeli participation

The Eurovision Song Contest has experienced resistance to the participation of Israel in recent years. From 2024, calls were made to rule out the competition due to the Gaza conflict, similar to how it happened to Russia after its invasion into Ukraine. The number of spectators for the ESC in Great Britain fell by about 25 % compared to the previous year, and British representative Olly Alexander saw himself under pressure to explain a possible resignation, but decided to stay and show solidarity with Palestine.

For the ESC 2025, Israel is represented by Yuval Raphael, who shows a survival instinct after the Hamas attack on a music festival in October 2023. She submitted the song "New Day Will Rise" and secured a place in the final. However, their participation fell on fertile soil of protests. The rehearsals resulted in demonstrations in which around 200 people in Basel came to the end of the Israeli military campaigns and the exclusion of Israel from the contest. In the past two years, the wave of protests has increased against Israeli participation, especially after the violence between Israel and Hamas has increased.

protests and public reactions

During the Eurovision weekend, especially when she was performed, Raphael was faced with the potential of protests. However, she expressed the fear of possibly being booed during her appearance, but was determined to "end her heart". The security forces had to intervene to remove demonstrators, but their appearance was not disturbed. In Basel, the pro-Palestinian protests have been small compared to those of the previous years in Malmö, with some demonstrators also comparing Israel with Russia.

The German Minister of Culture Wolfram Weimer condemned the hostile attitude towards Raphael and recalled that she survived the Hamas attacks. The discussion about Israeli participation in the Eurovision is also intensively conducted within the European media landscape. More than 70 former Eurovision participants have signed an explanation that pronounces a boycott of Israeli participation. At the same time, the European Radio Union (EBU) emphasized that Israeli participation is represented independently of the government by the broadcaster Kan and thus should remain the values ​​of neutrality and inclusivity.