🔗 Share this article Eurovision Faces a Critical Choice Concerning Israel. Singer Yuval Raphael, who survived the 7 October attacks, was the entry for Israel at the latest Eurovision. The Eurovision Song Contest is fighting for its long-term viability at a "watershed" assembly in Geneva on Thursday. Organisers and competing nations will debate whether the Israeli entry should be permitted to take part in the contest, due to demonstrations over the way its government conducted its Gaza war, and accusations of manipulated public voting. Countries like Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands and Slovenia have stated they will withdraw from Eurovision if Israel participates. The German broadcaster has indicated it will pull out if Israel is banned. Stage Storming and Voting Backlash The meeting comes after demonstrators tried to interrupt both the 2024 and 2025 editions, citing their protest against the fatalities in Gaza. At the most recent final show in the Swiss city of Basel, two people tried to rush the stage and throw a substance over Yuval Raphael. They were intercepted by security and subsequently detained. The artist eventually achieved the runner-up spot in the competition, after a convincing win in the public vote. Yet, the result provoked a strong reaction from competing nations, who said Israel's government had artificially boosted their result through a large-scale promotional drive, exhorting people across Europe to support their entry. Israeli officials has not responded to these claims but often states it has been subjected to a international disinformation effort. Tighter Measures Recently, Eurovision organisers announced they were tightening the competition's voting rules to curb the impact of governments on the results. Without naming Israel, the organising body stated it would "prevent excessive marketing efforts", especially if they were "backed or funded by outside entities, such as governments or governmental agencies". It also announced that viewers would only be permitted to submit 10 votes each, decreased from twenty; and that actions would be taken to strengthen the spotting of "suspicious or organized votes". "We are confident these new rules will satisfy participants that we have acted decisively to safeguard the non-political nature of the Song Contest," the EBU said. A Critical Juncture It is anticipated that the new rules will be sufficient to address broadcasters' concerns over Israel's presence at the event. The proposals will be considered by participating organisations - among them BBC director general Tim Davie - at the union's biannual general meeting on Thursday. If they are not convinced the changes are robust enough, there will be a decision on Israel's future. A senior official, leader at Slovenian broadcaster RTV, commented to the media she believed such a ballot to go in Israel’s favour. If that was the outcome, the Slovenian delegation would withdraw in or televise the event. "I understand our viewers are saddened," Gorščak said. "Personally, I love the contest and it's so bad because Vienna is so close to us and we won't be able to go. "However, we need to follow our principles and I think this is the correct way. At times we need to be on the correct side of this issue, and now is the time." Eurovision expert Paul Jordan described the circumstances "a severe challenge for Eurovision and the EBU." "This is a lose-lose situation. And it's a great shame that something which is meant to be non-political has now become a political tool." The upcoming event will be held in Vienna, Austria, following the winner JJ took victory in the latest contest. A Split Opinion A vote on Israel's participation was first planned to occur in November, but it was cancalled following the declaration of a truce in the Gaza Strip on 10 October. Roland Weissman, director general of Austrian broadcaster ORF - which will stage next year's contest in the capital - later met with officials in Israel to consult its broadcaster and Israeli President Isaac Herzog. There, he stated that the nation is "a fundamental member of the contest." Some strongly oppose this. Spain, one of the "Big Five" nations that are major backers to Eurovision, has vowed to pull out if Israel competes, saying the nation had exploited the contest politically. In testimony before a parliamentary commission, the head of Spanish broadcaster RTVE declared he believed the participation of Israel was "unacceptable, calling its conduct a act of genocide. "In my role, I keep thinking that Eurovision is a competition, but fundamental rights are not up for debate," he said. Israeli authorities has always refuted allegations of genocide in the Gaza Strip, where the number of fatalities has exceeded seventy thousand, as reported by Gaza's health ministry. If a ballot against Israel were to be approved, the German broadcaster would almost certainly leave and not broadcast the contest, sources familiar with the matter stated to news agencies. Sources within Israeli broadcaster KAN indicated it maintained proposals about excluding their country were baseless, claiming that the broadcaster was in total agreement with the union's statutes. Ahead of the meeting, pre-empting the crucial discussion, the Israeli delegation issued a statement stating it was continuing its preparations for the next contest.
Singer Yuval Raphael, who survived the 7 October attacks, was the entry for Israel at the latest Eurovision. The Eurovision Song Contest is fighting for its long-term viability at a "watershed" assembly in Geneva on Thursday. Organisers and competing nations will debate whether the Israeli entry should be permitted to take part in the contest, due to demonstrations over the way its government conducted its Gaza war, and accusations of manipulated public voting. Countries like Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands and Slovenia have stated they will withdraw from Eurovision if Israel participates. The German broadcaster has indicated it will pull out if Israel is banned. Stage Storming and Voting Backlash The meeting comes after demonstrators tried to interrupt both the 2024 and 2025 editions, citing their protest against the fatalities in Gaza. At the most recent final show in the Swiss city of Basel, two people tried to rush the stage and throw a substance over Yuval Raphael. They were intercepted by security and subsequently detained. The artist eventually achieved the runner-up spot in the competition, after a convincing win in the public vote. Yet, the result provoked a strong reaction from competing nations, who said Israel's government had artificially boosted their result through a large-scale promotional drive, exhorting people across Europe to support their entry. Israeli officials has not responded to these claims but often states it has been subjected to a international disinformation effort. Tighter Measures Recently, Eurovision organisers announced they were tightening the competition's voting rules to curb the impact of governments on the results. Without naming Israel, the organising body stated it would "prevent excessive marketing efforts", especially if they were "backed or funded by outside entities, such as governments or governmental agencies". It also announced that viewers would only be permitted to submit 10 votes each, decreased from twenty; and that actions would be taken to strengthen the spotting of "suspicious or organized votes". "We are confident these new rules will satisfy participants that we have acted decisively to safeguard the non-political nature of the Song Contest," the EBU said. A Critical Juncture It is anticipated that the new rules will be sufficient to address broadcasters' concerns over Israel's presence at the event. The proposals will be considered by participating organisations - among them BBC director general Tim Davie - at the union's biannual general meeting on Thursday. If they are not convinced the changes are robust enough, there will be a decision on Israel's future. A senior official, leader at Slovenian broadcaster RTV, commented to the media she believed such a ballot to go in Israel’s favour. If that was the outcome, the Slovenian delegation would withdraw in or televise the event. "I understand our viewers are saddened," Gorščak said. "Personally, I love the contest and it's so bad because Vienna is so close to us and we won't be able to go. "However, we need to follow our principles and I think this is the correct way. At times we need to be on the correct side of this issue, and now is the time." Eurovision expert Paul Jordan described the circumstances "a severe challenge for Eurovision and the EBU." "This is a lose-lose situation. And it's a great shame that something which is meant to be non-political has now become a political tool." The upcoming event will be held in Vienna, Austria, following the winner JJ took victory in the latest contest. A Split Opinion A vote on Israel's participation was first planned to occur in November, but it was cancalled following the declaration of a truce in the Gaza Strip on 10 October. Roland Weissman, director general of Austrian broadcaster ORF - which will stage next year's contest in the capital - later met with officials in Israel to consult its broadcaster and Israeli President Isaac Herzog. There, he stated that the nation is "a fundamental member of the contest." Some strongly oppose this. Spain, one of the "Big Five" nations that are major backers to Eurovision, has vowed to pull out if Israel competes, saying the nation had exploited the contest politically. In testimony before a parliamentary commission, the head of Spanish broadcaster RTVE declared he believed the participation of Israel was "unacceptable, calling its conduct a act of genocide. "In my role, I keep thinking that Eurovision is a competition, but fundamental rights are not up for debate," he said. Israeli authorities has always refuted allegations of genocide in the Gaza Strip, where the number of fatalities has exceeded seventy thousand, as reported by Gaza's health ministry. If a ballot against Israel were to be approved, the German broadcaster would almost certainly leave and not broadcast the contest, sources familiar with the matter stated to news agencies. Sources within Israeli broadcaster KAN indicated it maintained proposals about excluding their country were baseless, claiming that the broadcaster was in total agreement with the union's statutes. Ahead of the meeting, pre-empting the crucial discussion, the Israeli delegation issued a statement stating it was continuing its preparations for the next contest.