As the EBU prepares for a vote on whether or not Israel should be allowed to participate at Eurovision 2026, Israeli broadcaster KAN has issued a statement on the vote.
KAN calls for non-politicised vote
In a statement released on its Twitter account, KAN called for the vote not to be politicised, saying it hopes the Contest will remain apolitical. The broadcaster also alleged that Israel’s disqualification would set a dangerous precedent for future editions of the Contest. KAN itself will be unable to vote in the ballot, while nations who do not compete in the Contest will be allowed to vote.
The full statement reads:
KAN, the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation, expresses its firm hope that the Eurovision Song Contest will continue to uphold its cultural and non-political identity.
The potential disqualification of Israelโs public broadcaster KAN – one of the contestโs long-standing, popular, and successful participants – would be especially troubling ahead of the 70th edition of the song contest, which was founded as a symbol of unity, solidarity, and fellowship. Any such move could have wide-ranging implications for the competition and the values for which the EBU stands.
The EBU Statutes stipulate for a good reason that extraordinary decisions of this kind require a 75% majority of the General Assembly – an exceptional majority. We are confident that the EBU will safeguard the contestโs professional, cultural, and non-political character as it marks the historic 70 years milstone of uniting by music.
Conflicting claims
Following the announcement of the statement, several Eurovision fans delved into the eexact wording of the extraordinary assembly of the broadcasters. There, they confirmed that KAN’s claims of needing a 75% majority of votes was wrong. Instead, a simple majority – requiring over 50% of broadcasters – is needed. As well as this, the vote will be binding, meaning the decision will ultimately be made by broadcasters in November.
Several nations have already confirmed that they will withdraw if Israel is allowed to take part next year. These nations include Spain, Ireland, Slovenia and the Netherlands. Meanwhile, Denmark and Australia have confirmed they will remain in the competition regardless of the outcome.
Israel’s Eurovision journey
Israel has a long and wealthy history in the Eurovision Song Contest, making their debut in 1973 with Ilanit and โEy Shamโ. Their first entry scored 97 points, placing 4th. Israel has since gone on to win the Contest on four separate occasions โ in 1978, 1979, 1998 and 2018.
Yuval Raphael represented Israel in Basel during the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 with the song “New Day Will Rise”. Performing at the second semi-final, Israel qualified for the final in 1st place. In the final itself, Yuval finished in 2nd place with a total of 357 points – 60 points from the jury and 297 from the televote.
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News Source: KAN
Photo Credit: Corinne Cumming / EBU
Silvia Stifini