On Thursday 4 December 2025, members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) held a crucial General Assembly in Geneva where the big question was: Whether KAN, Israel’s public broadcaster, can participate In the next edition of the Eurovision competition, which will be held in Vienna (Austria), the semi-final matches will be held on May 12 and 14, and the grand final will be held on May 16. The answer is yes, Israel will participate. The result is straightforward: Spain will not do it.
the The European Broadcasting Union avoided voting on whether or not to expel Israel She instead suggested voting on the new measures to avoid interference. The measures were approved by 738 votes to 264, with 120 abstentions, out of a total of 1,122 delegates.Of which 24 belong to Spain.
In favor of expulsion, countries such as Spain, Netherlands, Slovenia, Ireland and IcelandUnder threat of withdrawal if Israel participates. At the forefront are countries like Germany, which has threatened not to go to Eurovision if Israel is not present, or like Austria, the host country, which has also spoken clearly in favor of the Israeli delegation’s presence.
The EBU General Assembly comprises 68 full members of the broadcasting body, They come from 56 countries and have the right to vote To comment on Israel’s participation in Eurovision 2026.
Despite attempts to establish new rules of transparency (such as determining votes by payment methods and strengthening the weight of professional juries), The controversy goes beyond the regulations: Israel’s participation has become a geopolitical issueafter the military attack on Gaza and the interventions to which the Hebrew state subjected the festival, with the government of Israel being fully implicated in these interventions, which lacked the apolitical and solely musical nature of Eurovision.
The European Broadcasting Union has already announced that there will be new rules to control the problems Disagreements such as those raised regarding the delegation and the Israeli proposal in the last two editions From Eurovision.
For example, Reducing the threshold for votes by pushing, which will range from 20 to 10. Moreover, the semi-finals They will get the jury number back and their decision will be worth half the final scorealong with 50% contributed by the popular vote.
Given to Doubts were raised in the last edition due to the presence of fraudulent votes in the final, the European Broadcasting Union announced that it would take action.But it was not specified how or what “fraudulent voting” would be defined, although he said that it would be procedures “Detect and prevent fraudulent or coordinated voting activities“And strengthen the monitoring of suspicious patterns to maintain confidence in the results of public voting.”
Furthermore, there is a general section in the regulations that states this Sanctions will be imposed on delegations whose countries engage in political interferenceBut it does not develop this concept, nor what is considered interference, nor sanctions.
At the Geneva meeting Members were first asked to consider whether this package of supposed measures and safeguards was sufficient to address their concerns. Regarding Israel’s participation and after its approval, There was no vote on Israel’s participation. It is understood that the delegates were satisfied with these new rules.
Spain is out of Eurovision
As a result of Israeli participation… RTVE will stand by its intention not to participate in Eurovision 2026Since last September, RTVE’s board of directors approved Spain’s withdrawal from Eurovision if Israel is part of it.
Spain’s withdrawal from Eurovision also means that RTVE will not be broadcast No semi-finals, no The final of the festival.
Spain intervened during the assembly, explaining its position, according to a statement on RTVE. In his address to the General Assembly before the vote, the Secretary-General told RTVE, Alfonso MoralesHe explained that the Foundation “recognizes and appreciates” the measures adopted by the European Broadcasting Union and the Reference Group to defend the central principles and values of the Eurovision Song Contest. “but, “We consider these measures insufficient.”He pointed out.
“We would like to express our serious doubts about the participation of Israeli television KAN in Eurovision 2026. “The situation in Gaza, despite the ceasefire and approval of the peace process, and Israel’s use of the competition to achieve political goals, makes it increasingly difficult to maintain Eurovision as a neutral cultural event.”He added.
The head of the institution also expressed his concern about the exploitation of voting in recent issues and the absence of penalties in this regard. “We should not accept double standards. Neutrality and transparency are a common goal He pointed to ensuring an honest result that respects the public and citizens.