About a month before the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) is set to discuss Israel’s participation in next year’s Eurovision Song Contest, Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF) chairman Roland Weissmann visited Israel for meetings with President Isaac Herzog and senior executives of the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation, Kan.
Kan said in a statement that both public broadcasters were working together to ensure Israel’s participation in the competition, amid objections raised by several European countries — including Spain, Ireland and Slovenia — over Israel’s inclusion.
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Austrian Broadcasting Corporation chairman Roland Weissmann and President Isaac Herzog (center) and Kan senior executives
“Eurovision will mark its 70th anniversary next year, and Israel is an inseparable part of the contest,” Weissmann said during his meeting at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem.
President Herzog emphasized the importance of maintaining Kan’s editorial and operational independence as Israel’s public broadcaster.
Kan CEO Golan Yochpaz said there was “no justification for excluding Israel from Eurovision,” stressing that Kan “has consistently complied with all EBU regulations and will continue to do so in the future.”
Following the ceasefire in Gaza, the scheduled vote on Israel’s participation — which had been expected to determine whether the country would be allowed to compete — was canceled and replaced with a discussion session in December.
According to sources familiar with the process, the risk of Israel’s disqualification has now largely passed, and the country is expected to take part in the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest.