Madonna to perform at Eurovision in Israel

MADONNA is due to perform two songs at the Eurovision Song Contest in Israel next month, despite controversy surrounding the event.

Although Madonna’s press team confirmed the news to the BBC, it is yet to officially be announced by the Eurovision organisers.

Israeli media has reported that production officials reviewing her planned songs found one of them to be inappropriate for the audience and “upbeat atmosphere” of the competition. There are also unofficial reports that the singer filmed a political advertisement that would “lead to controversy”.

In a statement, the European Broadcasting Union said: “No final decisions have been made, or agreements signed, regarding the interval acts and potential guest performers for Eurovision Song Contest 2019.”

This year’s competition, which is being hosted in Tel Aviv after Netta Barzilai won the contest in Portugal last year, has created some controversy.

An open letter to the BBC published in The Guardian in January called for a boycott of the contest. The signatories included Vivienne Westwood, the fashion designer, and Ken Loach, the film director, who criticised Israel’s “systematic violation of Palestinian human rights”.

Madonna has longstanding ties to Israel; in 2012 the pop star launched her MDNA tour in Tel Aviv.

During the 2014 Gaza conflict, Madonna posted a picture of flowers on her Instagram with the caption: “These flowers are like the innocent children of Gaza! Who has a right to destroy them? No one !!!! Cease fire!”