By Olivia Le Poidevin
GENEVA, Dec 4 (Reuters) – National broadcasters behind the Eurovision Song Contest meet on Thursday to discuss whether Israel should be barred from taking part next year, after threats by some to pull out over the Gaza war.
The issue has sharply divided participants in the competition which draws millions of viewers worldwide and has a history of entanglement in national rivalries, international issues and political voting.
Spanish and other national broadcasters have threatened to boycott the event if Israel is included, citing the death count in Gaza and accusing it of flouting rules meant to guard the contest’s official neutrality.
Germany, a major Eurovision backer, has said it will not take part if Israel is barred. Israel, which came second in the contest this year, has not responded to the accusations, but has argued it faces a global smear campaign.
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The meeting will discuss new rules intended to discourage governments and third parties from overly promoting songs to sway voters, following allegations that Israel unfairly boosted its entrant this year.
If members cannot agree on those rules, they may hold a vote on Israel’s participation, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organises the contest, said.
Israel’s 2025 entrant, Yuval Raphael, was at the Nova music festival, one of the targets of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel that triggered the Gaza war.
A total of 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage in the assaults, according to Israeli tallies. Israel’s ensuing offensive has killed more than 70,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, health officials in the enclave say.
Israeli public broadcaster KAN has said it is preparing for next year’s contest and will soon announce changes to its entry selection process.
It has added it will present its position on possible disqualification at the meeting, which is not open to the public.
The Eurovision Song Contest dates back to 1956 and reaches around 160 million viewers, according to the EBU – more than the almost 128 million recorded for this year’s U.S. Super Bowl, according to figures from Nielsen.
Participation is based on membership of the EBU and is not limited to Europe.
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Public broadcasters from Slovenia, Ireland, Spain and the Netherlands have all threatened to boycott the May 2026 contest, which will be hosted by Austria.
The head of Spanish broadcaster RTVE, Jose Pablo Lopez, posted on X that the management of the EBU and Eurovision was subjecting his organisation to the “greatest internal tension in its history”.
The EBU did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
As he arrived at the meeting at the EBU headquarters, the president of Portugal’s RTP national broadcaster, Nicolau Santos, told Reuters his organisation supported the new rules, without commenting on Israel’s participation.
Finnish broadcaster Yle said it would only take part in the next contest if the proposed rules were implemented and if there were additional safety guarantees for participants and the audience.
“Eurovision’s original purpose has been to create a space where we can meet despite differences and disagreement,” Yle’s CEO, Marit af Björkesten, said in a statement.
Germany’s Minister of State for Culture, Wolfram Weimer, told Reuters that Berlin should not participate if Israel was excluded.
“Israel belongs in the Eurovision Song Contest,” he said. A spokesperson for German broadcaster ARD said it was hoping for “constructive discussions”.
Under the proposed new rules, an expanded professional jury would be reintroduced at the semi-final stage and have about 50% of the vote. The other half would remain a public vote.
Audience members would have a maximum of 10 rather than 20 votes to cast and be encouraged to support multiple entries, the EBU said.
(Reporting by Olivia Le Poidevin; Additional reporting by Andreas Rinke in Berlin, Emma Pinedo Gonzalez in Madrid, Klaus Lauer in Berlin, Gerhard Mey and Marie-Louise Gumuchian in London; Additional reporting by John Cotton and Cecile Mantovani in Geneva and Elviira Luoma in Gdansk; Editing by Toby Chopra, Alexandra Hudson and Andrew Heavens)
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