US attacks Palestine bid to join Eurovision Song Contest

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today described as ‘inexplicable’ Eurovision’s decision to allow Palestine to put forward an entry for the qualifying stages of next year’s Song Contest.

“This is an outrageous attempt to derail the peace process,” claimed Clinton this morning.

“How can we expect Israel to return to the negotiating table when the Palestinians continue this campaign of musical aggression?”

In September Palestinian President Abbas formally applied for official recognition in the United Nations, and Palestine recently applied for full membership of UN cultural agency Unesco, before entering The X Factor.

Now Palestinians are pursuing a more creative, potentially faster strategy to secure international recognition, through the annual composition of pop-rock ballads, sung mainly in English.

Palestine in Eurovision?

US Republican Congresswoman Kay Granger, who chairs the sub-committee responsible for the export of American music to the rest of the world, said in a statement she would “advocate the immediate cessation of all supplies of easy listening music as a symbol of our concern.”

It is believed that a freighter ship attempting to deliver humanitarian supplies of Tony Bennett albums to Gaza has been ordered to turn back.

France, which abstained on the motion, said “it was not the time” for Palestinians to pursue Eurovision membership, but this stance is thought to be due to the fear of further musical humiliation, than anything else.