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Palestinians want Jerusalem cut from Eurovision videos
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In this file photo taken on May 14, 2018 Israel's Netta Barzilai performs on stage a festive welcome concert in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv, after winning the Eurovision Song Contest on Sunday in Lisbon, Portugal. (AFP/Jack Guez)
T
he Palestinian Authority called Saturday for Jerusalem to be cut from videos promoting Eurovision, accusing Israel of "propaganda" ahead of Tel Aviv hosting the song contest.
Israel's public broadcaster KAN aired a clip Friday aimed at tourists traveling to the country for Eurovision, which features a shot of east Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound.
๐บ This is the land of honey, honey!
Let Lucy and Elia take you in a musical journey throughout the most important parts of Israel. We promise you won't regret it! ๐๐๐ pic.twitter.com/djQlNXPoDe
— KAN Eurovision Israel (@kaneurovision) May 10, 2019
It also refers to Jerusalem as "our beloved capital", despite Palestinians claiming the eastern sector as the capital of their future state.
East Jerusalem was occupied by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed in a move never recognized by the international community.
The PA's foreign ministry said Israel was using the song competition to "entrench its colonial occupation by effectively normalising the global acceptance of its unlawful conduct."
Read also: LGBT teen Bilal Hassani shines as France's Eurovision pick
"The promotional material published in the context of the Eurovision contest and approved by EBU, is unacceptable," the ministry said, in reference to the European Broadcasting Union.
Writing on Facebook, the ministry said it had contacted the EBU about what it termed Israeli "propaganda material" which "wipes... the State of Palestine from the map".
KAN's promotional video was also criticized by some Israelis for its portrayal of stereotypes, prompting the broadcaster to issue a statement stressing its take was satirical.
Eurovision will take place from Tuesday to Saturday in Tel Aviv, picked to host the event after Israeli singer Netta Barzilai won last year's contest.
Efforts by activists calling for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) of Israel over its occupation of Palestinian territories have failed to move the competition.
