EBU Approves New Rules, Israel to Compete in Eurovision 2026
The European Broadcasting Union approved new rules confirming Israel's participation in Eurovision 2026, a decision that could lead to Spain and several other nations withdrawing from the competition.
Israel is set to participate in Eurovision 2026. This decision was made on Thursday by the countries of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) during an internal vote at their general assembly. The member countries approved new rules designed to make the festival more "neutral and fair." These rules were proposed two weeks ago. Because these new rules were passed, there was no need for a separate vote on whether Israel should remain in the competition.
The new rules passed with 738 votes for, 264 against, and 120 abstentions. This vote effectively ended discussions about removing Israel from the contest. However, José Pablo López, the head of Spain's public broadcaster RTVE, had already said that Spain remained critical and felt the EBU's new measures weren't enough.
On September 16, RTVE's board had decided that Spain would pull out of Eurovision 2026 if Israel was still allowed to compete. Given the EBU's decision, it now looks like Spain will not take part. RTVE has until the 10th of the month to officially announce its participation.
Spain wasn't alone in this stance. Ireland, Slovenia, Iceland, and the Netherlands also warned they would only compete if Israel was excluded. They accused Israel of breaking the festival's rules and of committing genocide in Gaza. In contrast, Germany openly supported Israel's involvement. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz even said Germany should withdraw if Israel was removed.
The EBU also voted on other changes suggested by the Eurovision Reference Group. One key change is that the maximum number of paid televotes will be cut from 20 to 10. Also, systems designed to spot "suspicious or coordinated voting" will be improved to stop any attempts at manipulation.
Another new rule brings back professional jury votes in the semifinals, and the number of judges per country will increase from five to seven. Festival director Martin Green stated that these changes address requests from EBU members. He emphasized that keeping the contest neutral is "essential" for the organization.
José Pablo López repeated his view that Israel's participation in the festival is "unsustainable" because of the situation in Gaza. He also accused Israel of repeatedly breaking Eurovision rules, saying, "It has tried to influence the results, at least in the last two years, and has not received any sanction."