Open letter to France Télévisions and to ARCOM
to Ms. Delphine Ernotte, Chair of the Board of Directors of France Télévisions to Mr. Martin Ajdari, President of ARCOM, and to the members of the ARCOM board Paris, May 8, 2026
Subject: Israel's participation in Eurovision: a call for respect for the law international by France Télévisions
The 70th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest (the ’ Eurovision »"), a music competition organized annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). On this occasion, France Télévisions, an EBU member and the national broadcaster of Eurovision in France, confirmed its participation in the contest and reiterated its support for the participation of the Israeli broadcaster KAN. We deplore this decision, which comes in a particularly worrying international context.
The State of Israel's serious violations of international law: genocide, colonization, racial segregation and apartheid
The vast majority of experts, international institutions, and non-governmental organizations are raising the alarm about the gravity of the situation in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, and accuse Israel of committing genocide. In its report of October 20, 2025, entitled « The genocide in Gaza: a collective crime »,« the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, illustrates how« the genocide The ongoing violence in Gaza is a collective crime, perpetrated with the complicity of third-party states. influential figures who have long allowed Israel to engage in violations systematics of international law »She highlights how Israel does not have to answer for these acts due in particular to diplomatic and political measures that prevent any symbolic or institutional sanctions, which includes Israel's continued participation in international sporting and cultural competitions and events such as Eurovision (expressly targeted in the report).
Israel is also a colonial state whose presence in the occupied Palestinian territory violates international law, and which implements a policy of racial segregation and apartheid against the Palestinians, which also constitutes a serious violation of international law. This has been reiterated on numerous occasions, most recently by the International Court of Justice and the United Nations General Assembly. This settlement policy has intensified further in recent months with its expansion into southern Lebanon and the establishment by the Israeli government of 34 new illegal settlements in the West Bank. .
An international movement for withdrawal and boycott
It is in this context that several countries, through their national broadcasters, withdrew from the competition to protest against Israel's participation, namely Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Slovenia, and Iceland. Some of these broadcasters also announced that they would not broadcast the competition and would instead offer Palestinian films and documentaries.
Calls for a boycott have also intensified. An open letter organized by the campaign No Music For Genocide and gathering the signatures of more than 1,000 musicians and cultural activists calls on states, organizers, artists and viewers to boycott the contest until Israel is excluded. .
https://docs.un.org/fr/A/78/968 https://docs.un.org/fr/A/RES/ES-10/24 https://www.lefigaro.fr/international/la-nouvelle-frontiere-israelienne-doit-etre-le-litani-un-ministre- israelien-appelle-a-annexer-des-terres-du-sud-du-liban-20260324 ;
https://www.humanite.fr/monde/benyamin-netanyahou/sud-liban-israel-poursuit-son-processus-colonial https://www.humanite.fr/monde/cisjordanie/pendant-le-genocide-a-gaza-et-le-massacre-au-liban-israel-etabli-34-nouvelles-colonies-illegales-en-cisjordanie https://www.franceinfo.fr/culture/musique/eurovision/crise-de-l-eurovision-plusieurs-pays-ne-diffusionont-pas-le-concours_7972034.html https://nomusicforgenocide.org/
Israel's use of the competition for political purposes
The argument put forward by the EBU, France Télévisions, and those supporting Israel's participation in Eurovision is that the contest is a neutral and apolitical cultural event, and that opposing a government's policies cannot justify boycotting an artist from that country. However, this position is untenable for several reasons.
Firstly, calls for boycott or withdrawal are not simply part of an opposition to a government policy, but part of a struggle against acts of extreme gravity, described as genocide, colonization, racial segregation and apartheid.
Furthermore, the State of Israel specifically uses Eurovision as a tool of soft power Internationally, the Israeli executive branch is actively involved in strategies to promote the country's image through this competition. For example, during the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest, an Israeli government agency funded advertisements to target public voting and disseminated online instructions encouraging people to vote up to 20 times for Israel's representative. The President of the Republic of Israel and Israeli government advisors also participated in an intense campaign. lobbying alongside KAN in order to keep Israel in the competition in 2026. More generally, Israel has been instrumentalizing Eurovision for years, an event traditionally associated with culture queer and the LGBTQIA+ community, to facts of pinkwashing : to present itself as a defender of human rights in the Near and Middle East 11 12 13 14 and the only safe place for LGBTQIA+ people in the region, by idealizing the situation of these people in Israel, with the aim of diverting attention from the treatment inflicted on Palestinians.
https://www.rtbf.be/article/eurovision-une-agence-gouvernementale-israelienne-a-finance-des-publicites-pour-cibler-le-vote-du-public-11549563 https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/eurovision-israel-lgbt-rights-pinkwashing-palestine-a8804851.html https://www.internationalaffairs.org.au/australianoutlook/united-by-music-israel-and-the-politics-of-eurovision/ https://www.haaretz.com/2009-10-01/ty-article/stop-using-palestinian-gays-to-whitewash-israels-image/0000017f-f813-d460-afff-fb777bf10000 https://www.bdsfrance.org/non-au-pinkwashing-de-leurovision-pres-de-90-groupes-lgbtq-appellent-au-boycott-du-concours-de-chant-en-israel/ https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5461079,00.html ;https://www.lemonde.fr/m-le-mag/article/2023/02/11/en-israel-amir-et-david-s-aiment-malgre-l-homophobie-et-l-extreme-droite_6161382_4500055.html Finally, we wish to emphasize that the EBU excluded Russia from the contest in 2022 because of the war it was waging in Ukraine. The EBU justified its decision at the time by stating that « in the context of the unprecedented crisis that is As the conflict unfolds today in Ukraine, there were fears that Russian participation might be involved. year does not discredit the Competition »While paradoxically emphasizing the organization's apolitical nature, we seriously question the non-application of this same measure in the context of international crimes committed daily in Gaza, crimes which are documented and recognized by international experts and courts. The recent war crimes committed in Lebanon only reinforce our incomprehension and lead us to conclude that the EBU applies a double standard in its treatment of states responsible for serious violations of international law.
France Télévisions' legal and regulatory obligations
In light of the above, we wish to remind you that, in accordance with Article 43-11 of Law No. 86-1067 of September 30, 1986 (known as "« Leotard Law »"), in its version in force on the date hereof, France Télévisions pursues public service missions in the general interest and must offer a range of programs characterized in particular by respect for human rights and constitutionally defined democratic principles. In this respect, the preamble to the French Constitution enshrines the principle of conformity with the rules of public international law, among which is the prohibition against recognizing as lawful any situation created by a serious violation of international law (United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2625, 1970; ILC articles on the responsibility of States, art. 41).
Article 36 of the specifications for France Télévisions (decree no. 2009-796 of June 23, 2009) adds that France Télévisions "« ensures respect for the human person and his dignity »" And "« contributes, through its programs and its treatment of information and societal issues, the fight against discrimination and exclusions of all kinds ».
It should also be noted that France Télévisions is mainly financed by public funds (2.6 billion euros in 2024, or about 80% of its turnover).
Therefore, by participating in Eurovision this year and supporting the participation of the Israeli broadcaster, France Télévisions is contributing, through the use of public funds, to a strategy of soft power of a colonial state committing genocide and organizing a policy of racial segregation and apartheid. Such a situation is contrary to its obligations to respect human rights, constitutionally recognized democratic principles, respect for the human person and their dignity, as well as to combat discrimination and exclusion, and more generally with the requirement of the public interest that must guide all of its missions.
Finally, we reiterate that, in accordance with Articles 1, 3-1, 13, and 43-11 of the Léotard Law, as well as Article 35 of its terms of reference, France Télévisions is obligated to guarantee the pluralism of thought and opinion, as well as the honesty, transparency, and independence of the information and programs it broadcasts. However, recent developments reveal France Télévisions' difficulties in fulfilling these obligations regarding the coverage of pro-Palestinian voices and/or those critical of the Israeli government. In particular, ARCOM issued a formal notice to France Télévisions on April 24 for broadcasting false allegations against the Mayor of New York, Zohran Mamdani, and UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East), and for its delayed and inadequate correction of this information. .
We will therefore remain particularly vigilant regarding the information that will be brought to the attention of viewers during Eurovision, particularly concerning the context surrounding this year's contest, the criticisms made against the participation of the Israeli broadcaster, the political instrumentalization of the contest by Israel, as well as the situation of the Palestinian population.
Our requests
We call France Télévisions to take all necessary measures to comply with its legal and regulatory obligations, and in particular to:
- To withdraw from Eurovision this year and renounce broadcasting the contest, as other national broadcasters have done; ;
- Failing that, adopt any other measure likely to limit its involvement in the implicit promotion and legitimization of the actions of the Israeli government, which are denounced as contrary to international law as well as to the values of the French Republic; for example, refrain from broadcasting the services of the representative of Israel, broadcasting explicit messages condemning said actions; ;
- Ensure that the information communicated during the Eurovision broadcast is honest, transparent, independent and respectful of the principle of pluralism, and that it clearly and explicitly reports on the criticisms made against the participation of the Israeli broadcaster in the contest, the political instrumentalization of the contest by Israel, as well as the situation of the Palestinian population.
We also invite the’ARCOM has :
- Open an investigation into possible breaches by France Télévisions of its obligations under the Léotard Law and its specifications; ;
- To exercise particular vigilance over the broadcasting of Eurovision 2026 in order to ensure that France Télévisions complies with its legal and regulatory obligations; ;
- More generally, strengthen its control over the broadcasting of sporting and cultural events such as Eurovision, in order to prevent any risk of implicit legitimation or impunity linked to the participation of States accused of serious violations of international law, which would be contrary to the legal and/or regulatory obligations of the broadcasters concerned.
NIDAL Association JURDI Association
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