TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Israel will take part in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest, Israeli broadcaster Kan said.
Its entry was cleared after members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) on Thursday chose not to hold a vote on banning the country, despite boycott threats from several broadcasters over Israel's actions in the war in Gaza.
Following the EBU's decision Spain, one of the so-called "Big Five" largest contributors to Eurovision, said it would boycott the 2026 event because of Israel's participation.
Eurovision host broadcasters in Ireland, the Netherlands and Slovenia also said they would withdraw from the song contest, which draws millions of viewers worldwide.
EBU rift over Israel in Eurovision
On Thursday, the EBU, which runs Eurovision and represents public broadcasters from 56 countries, held its twice-yearly meeting, where some members called for Israel's exclusion over alleged voting interference and its actions in the war in Gaza.
The gathering decided to approve tougher voting rules in response to allegations that Israel had previously manipulated the vote in favor of its contestant.
Eurovision's voting system faced scrutiny after Yuval Raphael, a survivor of Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel, jumped to second place in this year's public vote. Last year's representative, Eden Golan, also climbed to fifth, both despite low jury scores.
"A large majority of members agreed that there was no need for a further vote on participation and that the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 should proceed as planned, with the additional safeguards in place," the EBU said.
The war in Gaza has sharply divided host broadcasters and participants over the past two years.
"The situation in Gaza, despite the ceasefire and the approval of the peace process, and the use of the contest for political goals by Israel, makes it increasingly difficult to keep Eurovision a neutral cultural event," Alfonso Morales, the secretary general of Spain's RTVE, said in announcing their withdrawal.
Spain is one of the "Big Five" large-market countries that contribute the most to the contest.
Broadcasters from Ireland, the Netherlands and Slovenia also said their countries would not take part next year.
"RTE feels that Ireland's participation remains unconscionable given the appalling loss of lives in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there, which continues to put the lives of so many civilians at risk.
Ireland has won seven times, a record it shares with Sweden.
Israel welcome will promote understanding
Israeli President Isaac Herzog was pleased that Israel was cleared to participate in the 2026 show, adding it "deserves to be represented on every stage around the world."
"I hope that the competition will remain one that champions culture, music, friendship between nations, and cross-border cultural understanding," he said.
Germany and Austria, which will host next year's contest, have been supportive of Israel staying in.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz suggested in October that he would back Germany's withdrawal if Israel were excluded.
Eurovision in 'most serious crisis that is has ever faced'
"I've charted the political history of the contest, and I can say that this is really the most serious crisis that it has ever faced, because we see such deep divisions in the European Broadcasting Union over this issue," Dean Vuletic, a Eurovision expert and author of the book "Postwar Europe and the Eurovision Song Contest," told DW.
He added that divisions over the continued inclusion of Israel go beyond earlier EBU disagreements.
"In the past, there has tended to be a consensus regarding the exclusion of certain members for political reasons: Belarus in 2021, Russia in 2022. But here we see that indeed there are very opposing views, supporters of Israel, critics of Israel, and they can't seem to find a consensus on this issue."
The dispute also comes at a time when the union would rather celebrate itself.
"It's the 70th anniversary next year," Vuletic said. "It was meant to be an even bigger party than normal, but having so many broadcasters boycott means that it will be shrouded in political controversy."
Read: Eurovision: Countries to Boycott If Israel Competes
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