Secret Talks in Iceland: Nordic States to Debate Israel’s Participation in Eurovision 2026

Secret Talks in Iceland: Nordic States to Debate Israel’s Participation in Eurovision 2026

by Maor Heumann Comment Closed
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Nordic broadcasters meet in Reykjavik with EBU to debate Israel’s Eurovision 2026 status amid political tensions and conflicting positions  Stefán Jón Hafstein, Chairman of the Broadcasting Council of Iceland’s national broadcaster, broke his silence by calling for Israel’s immediate exclusion from Eurovision. His opinion piece in Icelandic news outlet Vísir sparked heated debate in Iceland and across Nordic countries, echoing in Israel as well. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Hafstein revealed that Nordic national broadcaster directors will soon convene in Reykjavik, Iceland’s capital, for a closed, high-profile meeting attended by an EBU representative. The envoy is tasked with gauging Nordic sentiment, but many delegations appear to have already reached firm positions. Six Reasons Behind the Demand In his article, Hafstein outlined six decisive arguments for expulsion, led by the UN Special Inquiry Committee’s report alleging Israel’s commission of genocide in Gaza. “It has long been evident to all that Israel’s government violates international law, commits crimes...
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Charlotte Perrelli In? The Date Spain Will Reveal Its Benidorm Fest Contestants

Charlotte Perrelli In? The Date Spain Will Reveal Its Benidorm Fest Contestants

by Maor Heumann Comment Closed
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Spain’s national broadcaster will reveal the Benidorm Fest 2026 contestants by mid-October, with songs set to premiere on December 18th. Eurovision 1999 winner Charlotte Perrelli has submitted a song Spain remains steadfast despite tensions: the contestants of Benidorm Fest 2026 are set to be unveiled within the next two weeks, with the competing songs revealed on December 18th, according to head of the Spanish delegation César Vallejo during a meeting of the OGAE Spain. Although the country has threatened to withdraw from Eurovision over Israel’s participation, Vallejo confirmed that the festival will be held under any circumstance. At the same event, it was confirmed that Charlotte Perrelli, winner of Eurovision 1999 and a current resident of Spain, has submitted a song for the festival. Perrelli returned to the Eurovision stage in 2008 representing Sweden with “Hero”, finishing in 18th place. Since then, she has made three unsuccessful attempts to compete again through Sweden’s Melodifestivalen. 870 Submissions for the 2026...
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Who Will Represent Cyprus at Eurovision 2026? Here Are the Eight Finalists

Who Will Represent Cyprus at Eurovision 2026? Here Are the Eight Finalists

by Maor Heumann Comment Closed
  (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); CyBC reveals eight finalists for Eurovision 2026, mixing veteran contenders and newcomers. The chosen artist will represent Cyprus in Vienna’s 70th contest CyBC has announced the eight final candidates to represent the country at Eurovision 2026 in Vienna, Austria. The selection process is already underway, and in the coming weeks, the chosen representative will be revealed. Cyprus has already confirmed its participation in Eurovision 2026 and stated that the representative will be chosen by a professional committee. Responding to criticism that the broadcaster had already decided on a representative, Head of the Cypriot Delegation Evi Papamichael said the selection process would commence only after choosing the country's representative for the Junior Eurovision. Contestants: Familiar Names and Fresh Faces Josephine The first on the list is a highly popular singer. Rumors of her attempts to represent either Greece or Cyprus at Eurovision have circulated for years. Evangelia Another artist often mentioned among Eurovision fans as a likely contender. Once again, her name...
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Albania: More than 100 Songs Submitted to Festivali i Këngës!

Albania: More than 100 Songs Submitted to Festivali i Këngës!

by Maor Heumann Comment Closed
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); RTSH confirmed over 100 entries for Festivali i Këngës 64, which will again choose the country’s Eurovision 2026 act in Vienna, Austria More than 100 songs have been submitted to the 64th edition of Festivali i Këngës, which also serves as Albania’s national selection for Eurovision. The national broadcaster RTSH confirmed the significant increase compared with recent years: the festival received 84 songs last year, while the two years before that saw only 80. The relative success of Shkodra Elektronike, who achieved eighth place at Eurovision 2025 in Basel, has seemingly encouraged many creators to take part, restoring national interest in the event and in Eurovision itself. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Albania’s Eurovision 2026 participation had been in doubt due to major reported debts of the national broadcaster to the EBU. Only two weeks ago, it was confirmed that Albania’s participation was secured after RTSH successfully renegotiated its financial obligations with the EBU. Festival...
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Shimrit Or Reflects on Writing “Hallelujah” and Israel’s Place in Eurovision

Shimrit Or Reflects on Writing “Hallelujah” and Israel’s Place in Eurovision

by Maor Heumann Comment Closed
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Writer of Eurovision 1979 winner reveals why it’s not her creative peak and shares her views on Israel’s current Eurovision challenges Shimrit Or, who wrote the song "Hallelujah" that won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1979, revealed in an interview with Ynet celebrating her 80th birthday that despite the song’s phenomenal success, she does not regard it as the peak of her creativity, and she would not return to her Eurovision experience. "It was a nice experience," she said. "The song is very popular, worldwide, and we still get messages about new performances – the last I heard was from India. But it’s not a moment I would relive. I think the turning point was when I found the word ‘Hallelujah’, and then it just emerged from nowhere. I called my father (the songwriter Yaakov Orland) and he said, ‘Wonderful’. It really felt like a breakthrough. It is an eternal word that is part of many songs –...
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Change for The Better? Gert Kark Replaces Martin Österdahl in Eurovision’s Reference Group

Change for The Better? Gert Kark Replaces Martin Österdahl in Eurovision’s Reference Group

by Maor Heumann Comment Closed
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The EBU has appointed Gert Kark as the new Eurovision General Supervisor, succeeding Martin Österdahl, and joining the influential Reference Group shaping contest decisions Gert Kark has been officially appointed as a member of the Eurovision Song Contest’s Reference Group, replacing Martin Österdahl, who stepped down from his role as General Supervisor of the competition. Who is Gert Kark? Kark is no stranger to the EBU, serving as a television project manager within the organization. He was also involved as a project manager in multiple editions of Junior Eurovision and is a member of its steering group. The Role and Significance of the Reference Group The Reference Group functions as Eurovision’s “engine room” – the body overseeing, guiding, and making strategic decisions for the competition. Among its responsibilities are supervising production, selecting and approving host cities, updating rules, managing crises, handling the budget, and ensuring cultural diversity, fairness, and transparency in voting. For Israel, the proper functioning of the Reference Group is...
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The War Is Not Over: AVROTROS Will Vote For Israel’s Expulsion from Eurovision 2026 Despite Gaza Ceasefire

The War Is Not Over: AVROTROS Will Vote For Israel’s Expulsion from Eurovision 2026 Despite Gaza Ceasefire

by Maor Heumann Comment Closed
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS insists Israel must be expelled from Eurovision 2026, citing Gaza and press freedom, even if a ceasefire with Hamas materializes (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The Netherlands will maintain its support for Israel’s expulsion from Eurovision 2026 even if a ceasefire with Hamas is reached, according to a spokesperson for the Dutch national broadcaster AVROTROS. He emphasized that Israel has no place in the contest. "Our Position Will Not Change" Trump’s plan, whose details were released yesterday, sparked hope among Eurovision fans in Israel that the threat of expulsion would be lifted and Israel’s path to Eurovision 2026 would be secured. The countries that previously called for Israel’s removal justified their stance by referring to the humanitarian situation and the decline in press freedom, raising expectations that an end to the war would render these threats irrelevant. However, the Dutch national broadcaster AVROTROS quickly clarified that its position remains firm, and even if a ceasefire agreement is finalized,...
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“Three Decades of Spreading Light”: Dana International Honored at TLVFest 2025 with Special Award

“Three Decades of Spreading Light”: Dana International Honored at TLVFest 2025 with Special Award

by Maor Heumann Comment Closed
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});   Eurovision star Dana International to receive honorary award at TLVFest 2025 for three decades of cultural impact and LGBTQ+ visibility Dana International, winner of Eurovision 1998 and one of the most influential figures in Israeli music and LGBTQ+ culture, will receive this year a special honorary award at the 20th edition of the TLVFest LGBTQ+ Film Festival. The festival will open on October 23rd at the Tel Aviv Cinematheque and take place across Tel Aviv-Jaffa and Haifa until November 2nd. Groundbreaking Career The festival’s steering committee explained that the award is being presented to Dana for three decades of musical and cultural contributions, as well as for being a pioneering voice for LGBTQ+ visibility in Israel and worldwide. Dana began her career in the late 1980s performing drag shows at gay clubs, long before this culture was widely recognized. In 1992, she broke through with the single “Sa’ida Sultana", which led to a successful debut album and her second, “Umpatampa"....
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Spain: Around 900 Songs Submitted for Benidorm Fest 2026!

Spain: Around 900 Songs Submitted for Benidorm Fest 2026!

by Maor Heumann Comment Closed
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 870 songs were submitted to RTVE for Benidorm Fest 2026, which will take place on February 14th RTVE closed on Wednesday the submission window for entries to Benidorm Fest 2026, the Spanish Eurovision pre-selection. According to the national broadcaster, around 900 songs were received, nearly 350 of them within the final 24 hours. This marks a lower number compared to last year, when approximately 1,000 songs were submitted, but still higher than the 825 entries received in 2024. Rising Popularity and Audience Success The overwhelming success of Benidorm Fest 2025 has clearly influenced the interest in the next edition. The number of submissions for Benidorm Fest 2026 remains impressively high due to the competition’s rapidly growing public appeal. The 2025 final, which topped television ratings throughout the week, was a massive success with a 17.1% viewing share and around 1,938,000 viewers. That made it the second most-watched edition in the festival’s history. At peak broadcast moments, nearly 5 million people...
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Political Explosion at Eurovision: Did Spanish Pressure Lead to an Early Vote on Israel?

Political Explosion at Eurovision: Did Spanish Pressure Lead to an Early Vote on Israel?

by Maor Heumann Comment Closed
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The Spanish national broadcaster’s president criticized the EBU and Israel, sparking speculation that Spain’s budgetary and political pressure accelerated the vote on Israel’s participation in Eurovision 2026 Just hours before the official announcement that the EBU would advance the vote on Israel’s potential exclusion from Eurovision 2026 from December to November, the president of the Spanish national broadcaster RTVE, Jose Pablo Lopez Sanchez, lashed out at the handling of the crisis by the EBU. The question arises whether RTVE’s strong stance contributed to the sudden decision to accelerate the process. Did a clash occur between RTVE and the EBU, fueled also by budgetary concerns, with Spain’s central role in financing the major event influencing the timing of the vote? Appearing yesterday before the Spanish Parliament’s supervisory committee on public broadcasting, Lopez Sanchez openly criticized the EBU and Israel, stating: ""It was time to break the silence within the EBU regarding the genocide in Gaza. The damage that the...
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