Why did Eurovision treat Russia and Israel differently? (Picture: Tobias Schwarz/AFP via Getty Images)
In today’s MetroTalk, why was Russia banned from competing in Eurovision and not Israel?
Many people, including Ireland’s Eurovision entry and last year’s winner objected to Israel’s participation on account of their involvement in the Israel-Hamas war, despite the controversy the EBU still allowed them to compete. Russia has been banned from the competition since 2022, after the country invaded Ukraine.
Readers are sharing why they think Israel and Russia were treated differently.
Share your thoughts on these topics and more in the comments.
Why Israel wasn’t banned from Eurovision
Martin Hyde (MetroTalk, Tue) asks why Russia was banned from Eurovision for its ‘atrocities in Ukraine’ but Israel was not for ‘its atrocities in Gaza’.
The difference is that Ukraine didn’t go into Russian territory and kidnap and kill hundreds of innocent people leading to Russia retaliating.
Hamas did just that to Israel from over the border in Gaza.
Yes, the Israel/Palestine conflict has been going on a lot longer and is more complicated than that.
But Israel retaliated to an enemy coming into their country to do what they did, whereas Russia just outright went into Ukraine of its own accord.
That’s why Russia was banned and Israel wasn’t.
As for ‘politics’ being why the UK didn’t win – not a chance. We didn’t win because we were the worst act of the night.
The best act of the night by far was Croatia so it’s a shame they didn’t win. Matt, Sheffield
METRO TALK – HAVE YOUR SAY
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Devastation in Ukraine (Credits: SOPA Images/LightRocket via Gett)
‘Russia is an unprovoked aggressor’
Here we go again. Martin blindly repeats the nonsense – why ban Russia and not Israel from competitions like Eurovision?
Here’s why: unprovoked aggressor Russia invaded sovereign Ukraine.
Israel was provoked by the savage attack of October 7. Its retaliation may be disproportionate but it doesn’t change the fact of it being the result of provocation.
I refuse to take sides and won’t join in any protests but can’t pretend I don’t remember the savagery of October 7 and the abhorrent cheering it induced among certain groups here and in other countries. JW, London
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a straightforward attempt at Nazi colonisation or lebensraum – whereby only collaborators of the invaded country will be kept alive.
Israel is attempting to kill the Islamists who wish to wipe them out, by which I mean Hamas.
As a democracy, Israel will have to allow the West Bank and Gaza to be a separate Palestinian state in the end but how can that happen with Hamas being allowed to reassert their murderous control?
The US and British authorities at the end of World War II managed just such a transition to democracy and modernity in Germany and Japan.
It is perfectly possible today. Chris Shepherd, London
Israel’s Eurovision entry Eden Golan was harassed for her participation (Picture: Martin Sylvest Andersen/Getty Images)
It’s also unfair to harass those to oppose the war
Scott (MetroTalk, Tue) says it was ‘unfair’ to harass the Israeli Eurovision contestant Eden Golan and that we cannot hold individual Israelis responsible for what their government is doing in Gaza.
I am quite disturbed, however, to see how vindictive some Israelis have been on social media towards non-Jews who are opposed to the war. C Jones, Middlesex
Otto Inglis (MetroTalk, Mon) says western leaders should be giving the Israelis their ‘full support, not pressurising the Israeli government to make concessions to monsters’.
But tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, very many of them civilians.
According to Oxfam, ‘Israel has deliberately and systematically denied people in Gaza food, water, medicine and shelter’.
It is of note that the International Court of Justice has ruled that Israel faces ‘plausible’ allegations of the crime of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
What Hamas did on October 7 was appalling. Also, since then, they may have been using civilians as human shields.
But the fact is that many times more people have now been killed in Gaza than in the original attacks against Israel.
Then there are those who have been injured or displaced. Many have had their homes destroyed.
Perhaps Otto could clarify what he means by his call for the Israelis to be given ‘full support’? Kevin, Watford
Alzheimer’s awareness, boosting morale and surviving food hardship
Radio 1 DJ Rickie Haywood-Williams shared his family’s struggle with his dad’s vascular dementia diagnosis (Picture: owner supplied)
Just wanted to say thank you to Radio 1 DJ Rickie Haywood-Williams, who is working with the Alzheimer’s Society, for talking so thoughtfully about his family’s struggle with his dad’s vascular dementia diagnosis (Metro, Tue). He was so open and honest. My family went through a very similar experience and his words really resonated with me. Ruth, via email
Thank you so much for your article about Morale during Mental Health Awareness Week (Metro, Wed). The app, developed by Aldwyn Boscawen, allows people to send anonymous morale-boosting messages to friends. Greg, Edinburgh
Reading your front page about a record three million emergency food parcels being handed out by the Trussell Trust – almost double the total five years ago (Metro, Thu).
That’s a staggering amount of parcels handed out but I was wondering how people survive if they are in such hardship?
Food banks generally give three days’ worth of food per visit and you are typically only allowed three visits in six months. That’s a total of nine days’ worth of food out of 182 days.
So, for the other 173 days every six months, these people must be finding alternatives. What are they? Anthony Weather, Manchester
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