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The call by the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions
(BDS) movement is part of a broader campaign to pressure
governments, companies, performers and academics to disengage
from Israel.
The movement sees Eurovision "as artwashing - whitewashing
through arts" of what it calls Israel’s decades-old regime of
military occupation and colonialism, its co-founder Omar
Barghouti told Reuters in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
"We take this Eurovision issue very seriously," he said. "We are
very conscious of how the Israeli government is dying to have
such a mega cultural event."
Israel was chosen to host the 42-nation contest after local
singer Netta Barzilai won last year in Portugal with "Toy",
propelling her to international stardom. The winning country
customarily hosts the following year.
"I believe in protest, it's ok. I don't believe in boycotting,"
the 26-year-old told Reuters. "Eurovision is a European contest,
it's not Israel, it's a worldwide thing... I encourage other
people to come and take part."
On Tuesday the BDS appeal received support from British
celebrities including fashion designer Vivienne Westwood,
actresses Julie Christie and Maxine Peake and singer Peter
Gabriel.
They were among 50 signatories of a letter to left-leaning
newspaper The Guardian calling on the BBC to "press for
Eurovision to be relocated to a country where crimes against
that freedom are not being committed."
So far no participating countries have pulled out of the May 18
event, and Israel says it is preparing measures to counter
demonstrations.
"Israel is fully aware that anti-Israel BDS activists will try
to disrupt Eurovision," said foreign ministry spokesman Emmanuel
Nahshon. "We will open our doors to all, as long as those people
do not come here as enemies."
Israel calls international boycotts, including of its
settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, discriminatory
and anti-Semitic.
Barghouti rejected those labels, saying the movement
"categorically and on principle rejects all forms of racism.”
Many BDS supporters were Jewish, he said.
(Reporting by Rami Ayyub, Stephen Farrell, and Elana Ringler;
editing by John Stonestreet)
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