Martin Green, Eurovision Director, gave an interview today following Vienna’s announcement as host city. Is the European Broadcasting Union shifting course and abandoning its neutral stance on Israel’s Eurovision participation?
Today (Wednesday), after Vienna was chosen as the host city for Eurovision 2026, the contest’s director, Martin Green, gave an interview to the Austrian national broadcaster ORF. In the interview, he spoke about the participation of countries in the contest.
In his remarks, Green emphasized that artists in the competition represent only the national and independent broadcasters, not governments. He added that political conflicts “which we all hope will end” are not connected to the contest. However, he noted that the coming months would be devoted to reviewing the participation of certain countries in Eurovision.
Eurovision news outlets reported on the interview and cited his statement that “Israel’s participation in Eurovision will be reviewed in the coming months”. While Green did not specifically mention Israel, it is reasonable to assume that he was referring to it and that participation could be influenced by regional developments. Nevertheless, this does not yet amount to a clear-cut statement or a dramatic policy shift on the part of the EBU.
In recent days, Israel received a potentially positive sign: the haircare brand Moroccan Oil renewed its sponsorship agreement for Eurovision 2026. This will mark the sixth year in a row that the company serves as a sponsor. The continuation of this partnership with an Israeli company may reflect the broadcaster union’s approach toward Israel. If the EBU chose to extend the agreement despite protests from certain countries, it could suggest that Israel’s participation may indeed proceed as usual.
In my view, the renewal of the sponsorship agreement with the Israeli company, the clear statements of the Israeli national broadcaster, and Israel’s already confirmed participation are all positive indicators regarding its involvement in Eurovision. Yet, it must be remembered that countries such as Spain, Belgium, Iceland, Ireland, and Slovenia have called for Israel’s exclusion. Will Israel end up disqualified or still participate? Only time will tell.
Israel at Eurovision 2025
“New Day Will Rise” is the song performed by Yuval Raphael, who was chosen to represent Israel after winning the 11th season of “HaKokhav HaBa”. Israel advanced to the final after winning the second semi-final with 203 points and finished second overall with 357 points in the grand final. Israel ranked first in the public vote but only 14th with the jury. This marks the third consecutive year that Israel has reached the top five – an unprecedented achievement.
Eurovision 2025: This was Israel’s 47th participation in Eurovision. Israel joined the contest in 1973 and has won four times. Its most recent victory was at Eurovision 2018 with the song “Toy,” performed by singer Netta Barzilai.
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Ilay Gaist is a leading Israeli content creator and writer specializing in the Eurovision Song Contest. He is a well-known commentator with extensive expertise in the contest’s history, rules, and dynamics. His passion for Eurovision drives him to deliver rich, professional, and innovative content to his audience.
Ilay holds a bachelor’s degree in Arabic and has a multilingual background. He also engages in cultural research, with a particular focus on global culinary traditions and the evolution of local cuisines around the world.
