Amid the ongoing war between Israel and the terror organization Hamas, several national broadcasters have openly opposed Israel‘s participation in Eurovision 2026.
Some of those broadcasters have even threatened to withdraw if Israel participates in Eurovision 2026. Among them, we could find: Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Slovenia, and Iceland.
Earlier today, the EBU sent a letter to its members regarding the issue.
Based on the EBU President, Ms Delphine Ernotte-Cunci, who is also the chief executive officer of France Télévisions, explained the EBU’s position on the matter:
- Israeli broadcaster KAN hasn’t broken any of the EBU’s rules, and therefore is eligible to remain an active EBU member.
- The EBU encourages pluralism and is open to a wide range of opinions.
- Each of the EBU’s active members (around 68 members) will have a vote to either support or oppose Israel’s participation in Eurovision 2026.
- No further sanctions are planned against Kan.
- The vote will be organized remotely at the beginning of November 2025.
(Part of the letter was revealed in the Austrian magazine Krone:
The decision was made during an extraordinary session. Based on the EBU’s clarification, at least half of the countries have to vote against Israel to prevent the country’s participation in Eurovision 2026.
The list of participating countries is expected to be revealed in December 2025.
Yuval Raphael represented Israel in Eurovision 2025
She performed “New Day Will Rise” and ended in 2nd place.
Eurovision 2026 will be held in Vienna, Austria, on May 12th, 14th, and 16th, 2026.
