The China Mail - Boycotters Spain, Ireland, Slovenia will not show Eurovision

The three countries, along with the Netherlands and Iceland, pulled out of this year's event in Vienna, which kicks off on Tuesday and culminates in Saturday's grand final.

Israel's war in the Gaza Strip prompted the five countries to withdraw from the world's biggest live televised music event -- with Eurovision director Martin Green vowing to do "anything in our power to find a pathway back" for them.

Suspicions were raised that the public televoting system was being manipulated to boost Israel at Eurovision 2025 in Basel, Switzerland. Some broadcasters also voiced concerns about media freedom, with Israel preventing their journalists from accessing Gaza.

"Instead of the Eurovision circus, the national television programme will be coloured by the thematic programme series 'Voices of Palestine'," Slovenian broadcaster RTV said.

During Thursday's second semi-final, Ireland's RTE will be showing "The End of the World with Beanz", featuring 1993 Eurovision winner Niamh Kavanagh in Norway experiencing life as a reindeer herder.

And during the final, it will screen a Eurovision-themed episode of the popular 1990s Irish-made sitcom "Father Ted".

Spain's RTVE will run its own musical special, "The House of Music".

Public service broadcasters in the Netherlands and Iceland will screen the competition, despite neither taking part.

- 'We hope they come back' -

Only 35 countries will take part in Eurovision this year -- the fewest since entry was expanded in 2004 -- following the five withdrawals.

As to whether those countries could return, Eurovision chief Green said it was "very much a conversation".

"We've got five members of our family missing this year. We miss them and we love them and we hope they come back," he told a press conference at the Wiener Stadthalle venue.

"We'll remain in conversations. We're very clear we'll do anything in our power to find a pathway back. Ultimately it's up to them and I totally respect that."

He also fielded questions about the voting system's vulnerability to manipulation.

On Saturday, Green said a warning was sent to Israel's participating broadcaster, KAN, telling it to cease putting out videos urging viewers "to vote 10 times for Israel", saying such actions were not in line with the rules and spirit of the competition.

Noting that this year, professional juries were returning to the semi-finals as a counterbalance to the public vote, "we have one of the most safest, secure and fair voting systems," he told reporters.

- Amnesty decries 'cowardice' -

First held in 1956, Eurovision is run by the European Broadcasting Union, the world's biggest alliance of public-service media.

Amnesty International said that the EBU's failure to suspend Israel from Eurovision, as it did with Russia following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, was "an act of cowardice and an illustration of blatant double standards".

Israel's participation "offers the country a platform to try to deflect attention from and normalise its ongoing genocide in the occupied Gaza Strip", Amnesty's secretary general Agnes Callamard said in a statement.

"Songs and sequins must not be allowed to drown out or distract from Israel's atrocities or Palestinian suffering."

A UN-backed probe in September determined that "genocide is occurring in Gaza" -- something Israel vehemently denies.

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J.Thompson--ThChM