Eurovision chief rules out future votes on Israel's participation despite ongoing country boycotts

Eurovision Song Contest director Martin Green has definitively ruled out any future votes by member countries on Israel's participation in the competition. In a recent interview with Variety, Green affirmed that the decision is final, stating that "the membership spoke conclusively."

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No, that’s done. The membership spoke conclusively. Almost 70% made their decision that they believe that public service broadcasters are not responsible for the actions of their government, and that [the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation] KAN should be allowed to participate.

Green explained that nearly 70% of European Broadcasting Union (EBU) member broadcasters concluded that public service broadcasters should not be held responsible for their governments' actions. This stance allows the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation, Kan, to continue participating in the contest. This decision came after several countries, including Spain, Slovenia, the Netherlands, Ireland, and Iceland, boycotted the 2026 event rather than perform alongside Israel, following the EBU's December general assembly decision not to put Israel's participation to a vote.

Israel's participation has been contentious, particularly after its 2025 performance, where Yuval Raphael's song "New Day Will Rise" topped the televote and came second overall. In 2026, Noam Bettan's song "Michelle" also placed second. These strong showings led to calls for investigations into potential rules violations and accusations of cheating from various publications, including The New York Times, though no evidence was provided.

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We had a fully validated vote again this year. We saw no evidence of undue large-scale paid promotion; we saw no evidence of anything untoward in our voting at all.

Green reiterated that the Eurovision voting process remains fair and validated. He stated, "We had a fully validated vote again this year. We saw no evidence of undue large-scale paid promotion; we saw no evidence of anything untoward in our voting at all." He added that the ability for individuals to vote multiple times does not significantly impact the outcome, emphasizing the integrity of the vote.

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We know that the availability of [the audience each] being able to vote 10 times doesn’t make any difference to the outcome. Our vote is fair and true and validated, and it’s like any vote, really. If you’re not that keen on the outcome, then next year, vote more and vote for something else.