Stephen Fry and Sharon Osborne are among the stars to have rejected calls for a boycott of the upcoming Eurovision song contest.
The 2019 incarnation of the annual show is due to take place in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv next month, after singer Netta earned the right for her country to host by winning in Lisbon last year.
Various campaigns have been launched to boycott the competition over Israeli military action in the Gaza Strip, which has killed hundreds of Palestinians, but now a counter-petition has emerged.
Creative Community For Peace, a non-profit organisation representing the entertainment industry, has secured support from more than 100 artists and famous faces to back the show.
In a statement signed by the likes of Fry, Osborne and celebrated Serbian artist Marina Abramovic, the group said the contest was a "unifying power" and those opposed to it wanted to turn it into a "weapon of division".
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"We believe the cultural boycott movement is an affront to both Palestinians and Israelis who are working to advance peace through compromise, exchange, and mutual recognition," it added.
"While we all may have differing opinions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the best path to peace, we agree that a cultural boycott is not the answer."
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The BBC, which shows the contest on television in the UK each year, has also voiced its opposition to calls for a boycott, saying the show embodies "values of friendship, inclusion, tolerance and diversity".
Around 186 million viewers worldwide watched the contest last year and Israel is hoping plenty of people decide to descend on Tel Aviv for the 2019 final on 18 May.
But despite the intervention of some heavy-hitters from the world of arts and entertainment, opposition to the contest will no doubt continue right up until the big day.
The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement, which works to end international support for Israeli campaigns in Gaza, said the contest was being used to "distract attention from war crimes against Palestinians".
And the Palestine Solidarity Campaign has said that backing Eurovision this year would mean being "complicit in ongoing violations of Palestinian human rights".
Both are highly critical of the actions of Israel in Gaza, Read More – Source
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