Overview

• German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on ARD he would support Germany withdrawing if Israel is excluded, calling the debate over a ban a scandal.
• The European Broadcasting Union has convened an unprecedented online vote of member broadcasters next month to rule on Israel’s eligibility for the 2026 contest in Vienna.
• Broadcasters and officials in Spain, Ireland, Iceland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Belgium have threatened to boycott if Israel participates.
• Israel’s public broadcaster KAN called a possible exclusion particularly worrying and urged the contest’s apolitical character be preserved, while the EBU’s notice did not explicitly name Israel.
• A new ARD-Deutschlandtrend poll found 65% of Germans oppose excluding Israeli artists from major international events, as Denmark’s DR says it will not back removing Israel if rules are followed.