Malta’s Eurovision Dream on Edge as Ireland Threatens Israel Boycott

**Ireland threatens Eurovision boycott if Israel takes part**
*Malta’s Eurovision community watches nervously as political storm clouds gather over 2024 contest*

By [Author Name] | Hot Malta

Valletta – While Malta’s Eurovision fans are still buzzing from The Busker’s feel-good trip to Liverpool, a fresh political storm is brewing that could split the contest down the middle. Ireland’s national broadcaster RTÉ has confirmed it will “re-assess” participation if Israel is allowed to compete in next year’s Eurovision, citing the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The statement, delivered quietly in Dublin on Tuesday, has set phones alight in Malta’s tight-knit music circles, where Eurovision is less a song contest and more a national ritual.

“Malta lives for Eurovision,” says Antoine Farrugia, secretary of the Malta Eurovision Network, an umbrella group of 300 local fans. “We’ve only missed one contest since 1971. When politics interferes, we feel it in our bones.” Farrugia’s WhatsApp groups, usually reserved for analysing running-order stats, are now flooded with Palestinian-flag emojis and heated debates about artistic neutrality. “Some members want Malta to side with Ireland, others say music must stay beyond politics. One guy even suggested we send a peace song next year,” he laughs, half-serious.

The timing is awkward. Public broadcaster PBS has already opened submissions for Eurovision 2024, promising a revamped “Malta Eurovision Song Contest” in February. Industry insiders estimate the tab – staging, hotels, delegation, marketing – will top €800,000, a hefty slice of the national cultural budget. “If Israel is in and Ireland walks, we could see a domino effect,” warns a PBS source who asked not to be named. “Nordic countries are under pressure too. Lose them and the contest loses prestige; Malta loses airtime worth millions in tourism ads.”

Malta’s own diplomatic tightrope is well documented. The government recognises Palestine but maintains warm trade ties with Israel, especially in tech and health. Foreign Minister Ian Borg reiterated Malta’s “balanced posture” in parliament last month, calling for “an immediate ceasefire and unimpeded humanitarian access”. That nuanced line is now being tested by Eurovision’s glittery spotlight. “We can’t hide behind ‘it’s only music’,” says University of Malta sociologist Dr Maria Pace. “For a small state, Eurovision is soft power. Our flag on that stage signals who we are.”

Grass-roots reactions mirror the divide. On Tuesday evening, activists from the Maltese-Palestinian Solidarity Network projected “No Apartheid on the Euro-stage” onto the Triton Fountain, while a counter-petition titled “Keep Politics Out of Eurovision” has gathered 4,000 signatures in 24 hours. Café chatter in Sliema swings from calls for Malta to boycott if Israel competes, to fears that withdrawal would rob local artists of a career-launching platform. “My daughter’s producer worked with Destiny,” says restaurateur Pauline Cachia. “Eurovision paid her university fees. But watching Gaza children on the news… you question everything.”

Historically, Malta has never boycotted the contest, even when Spain entered in 1969 under Franco. Yet insiders recall 2019, when Madonna’s interval flag stunt saw PBS receive 200+ complaints, and 2016, when Russian entrant Sergey Lazarev’s advance visit was picketed over Crimea. “We’re no strangers to protest,” notes blogger Keith Demicoli, who covered 11 contests for TVM. “But this feels different – social media is louder, the diaspora bigger, the guilt heavier.”

For artists, the dilemma is personal. Singer-songwriter Nicole Hammett, tipped as a 2024 contender, admits she has already drafted two potential entries: one an upbeat disco track, the other a ballad about “borders in our heads”. “I want to represent Malta, not a political bloc,” she says. “Yet silence is also a statement.” PBS guidelines forbid explicit political lyrics, but subtle messaging has slipped through before – think Lithuania’s 2022 yellow-blue staging or Ukraine’s 2016 Crimea call-out.

What happens next? The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) insists Eurovision is “a non-political event” and has so far made no move to bar Israel, arguing that members – including Israeli broadcaster KAN – are bound by contest rules, not foreign policy. A final list of competing countries is due in December. If Ireland pulls out, RTÉ forfeits a six-figure participation fee and risks EBU sanctions; if Malta follows, it would lose a year of planning and expose local creatives to financial uncertainty.

Back in Valletta, Farrugia is organising a town-hall next week with PBS executives, NGO reps and fans. “We need to listen,” he insists. “Eurovision brought us Chiara, Ira, Destiny. It also brings us together on Saturdays when the country feels tiny and victorious. Whatever we decide, we must do it eyes wide open – not just for points, but for principle.”

As the sun sets over the Grand Harbour, the question lingers: can Malta’s favourite party survive the world’s oldest conflict? For now, the stage lights are still on, but the chorus is growing louder – and not all of it is in tune.