BBC director-general Tim Davie has said the corporation will "make a decision" on whether it will be involved with next year's edition of the Eurovision Song Contest.
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which runs Eurovision, said last week that it was consulting its members on how to "manage participation and geopolitical tensions" around the song contest and would give them until mid-December to decide if they want to participate.
Mr Davie was asked if he could confirm the BBC’s participation in Eurovision on The Media Show on BBC Radio 4.
He replied: "Well, what we’re doing very specifically on Eurovision is the European Broadcasting Union hosts Eurovision, they are doing a review on what is the right position in terms of entries that come from broadcasters - what assurances do they need and who can compete, and we’re going to let them do their work, and then make a decision."
Speaking on Monday to the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee in London, Mr Davie said Eurovision had "never been about politics" but said "we’re very aware of the concerns".
RTÉ, Spanish public broadcaster RTVE, Slovenia’s RTVSLO, and Dutch public broadcaster Avrotros have announced they will not take part in next year’s contest if Israel is among the participants.
The leaders of the Scottish Greens, Green Party Northern Ireland, Wales Green Party and Green Party of England and Wales have already called on the BBC to withdraw Eurovision coverage if Israel participates.
The BBC faced similar calls from musician and songwriter Phil Coulter, who co-wrote the UK’s winning 1967 entry Puppet On A String and said there was a "double standard" because Russia and Belarus had previously been expelled from the contest.
The calls for a boycott are in protest against Israel’s offensive in Gaza.
The UK is part of the Big Five at Eurovision which is guaranteed entry into the final of the song contest thanks to the level of its financial contributions to the EBU.
This year’s Eurovision Song Contest saw Austria’s JJ win with the emotional song Wasted Love, while Israeli singer Yuval Raphael was the runner-up.
Israel made its Eurovision debut in 1973 after it became part of the EBU.
Russia was banned from Eurovision after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but Israel has continued to compete for the past two years despite disputes over its participation.
Eurovision’s final is to be held in Vienna next May.
Source: Press Association
