Following the general assembly, the EBU has announced that Israel is participating in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026, and will be present in Vienna.
Israel will not participate at Eurovision 2026
KAN have commented on the vote and reaffirmed that they will take part in Eurovision 2026. —
Today’s discussion at the EBU Assembly followed an extensive preparatory process conducted by KAN, with the assistance of the President of Israel, Isaac Herzog. As part of these efforts, KAN engaged with the European Broadcasting Union, with member broadcasters, and with Austria, this year’s host country, in an attempt to prevent Israel’s disqualification from the competition.
As part of these efforts, KAN hosted the CEO of the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation, Roland Weissmann, who last month joined Yochpaz for a meeting with President Herzog at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem.
– KAN
Prior to KAN participation being announced, six broadcasters had stated that they would not participate if Israel were present in Vienna. They were Spain, Iceland, Slovenia, The Netherlands and Ireland. This does not include the other countries that signalled they were opposed to Israel’s participation, despite their broadcasters not explicitly stating they themselves would withdraw, such as with Belgium. Several countries did state that they wished for Israel to be present in Vienna despite the calls for boycotts.
Netherlands, Spain and Ireland, as of writing, have announced that they will not participate in Eurovision 2026 due to the outcomes of the general assembly. We will keep a close eye as this situation unfolds.
Israel’s Eurovision journey
Israel has a long and wealthy history in the Eurovision Song Contest, making their debut in 1973 with Ilanit and “Ey Sham”. Their first entry scored 97 points, placing 4th. Israel has since gone on to win the Contest on four separate occasions – 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.
How do you feel about Israel participating? As always, please let us know what you think by getting involved in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Threads, tumblr, and Bluesky for more information about Eurovision 2026!
News Source: KAN
Photo credit: Israeli Broadcasting Company / Wikimedia
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