Germany and Italy’s national broadcasters have apparently told the European Broadcast Union (EBU) that they will withdraw from Eurovision if Israel’s broadcaster, Kan, is excluded without clear legal grounds.
Israel’s participation in the contest is the subject of a long-running row, which has intensified since
the beginning of the Gaza War.
While Germany and Italy have reportedly come out in defence of Israel – alongside Switzerland and Austria, who have previously stated their support – Spain, Iceland and Slovenia have been pushing for the Jewish State’s removal.
It’s also believed that should the matter come to a vote, Greece, Azerbaijan, and Cyprus will defend Israel’s right to take part.
In May, Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, weighed into the argument, saying: "Nobody was up in arms when the Russian invasion of Ukraine began three years ago and [Russia] had to leave international competitions and could not take part, as we have just seen, in Eurovision.
"Therefore Israel shouldn't either, because what we cannot allow is double standards in culture."
Explaining why Israel are included in the competition despite not being part of Europe, the EBU says on its website: “The Eurovision Song Contest is open to all members of the European Broadcasting Union which represents broadcasters from right across Europe and the Middle East.
“The Israeli public service broadcaster has been a member of the EBU since 1957 and has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest for 50 years.”
The basis for removing Israel from the competition would be if Kan wasn’t truly independent (as was deemed the case with Russia and Belarus, whose national broadcasters were deemed progaganda tools of their respective regimes). However Kan maintains that it fully complies with EBU regulations and emphasises its editorial independence from the Israeli government.
The latest story was broken by Amir Alon, a former member of Israel’s Eurovision delegation. Speaking to Israel’s Channel 12, he said: “As long as the war in Gaza continues and images of the conflict reach European audiences, it will be difficult for countries like Italy and Germany to publicly defend Israel.
"These two countries are among the contest’s top financial contributors, are in direct communication with the EBU, and support Kan. If Kan is excluded, they have threatened to leave the contest as well – something the EBU wants to avoid.”
Israel’s entrant, Nova festival massacre survivor Yuval Raphael, came second in this year’s contest, with her single New Day Will Rise gaining a record-breaking share of the public vote.
However, a weaker performance in the jury vote saw Raphael pipped to the post by Austria’s JJ with Wasted Love.
The results were the subject of a similar spat between broadcasting unions, with Spanish network RTVE reportedly requesting an audit of the vote in May.
