RAMALLAH, May 11 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian Foreign Ministry on Saturday urged the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to prevent the broadcasting of the Eurovision promotion video in which Israel claims control over East Jerusalem.
The ministry said in a statement that memos have been sent to the EBU to demand the alliance withdraw any promotional materials filmed in the occupied city of Jerusalem for the Eurovision Song Contest 2019.
"Israel, the Occupying Power, aims to exploit this global event to conceal the colonial reality in Palestine or cover up its practices of discrimination and persecution against the Palestinian people," the ministry statement said.
"The promotional materials published for the Eurovision contest and approved by the EBU are unacceptable given the cultural role it plays in normalizing occupation in the European and worldwide public opinion," it added.
The Palestinian ministry also urged the EBU not to "politicize the Eurovision Song Contest" by "implicitly recognizing and supporting Israel's illegal policies."
The Eurovision Song Contest, known as Eurovision, is set to open in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv later in May. It is considered the world's largest non-sports gathering.
