Eurovision’s Brewing Brexit: Italy and Germany Ready to Pack Their Bags if Israel Gets the Boot
There is nothing like a bit of high-stakes brinkmanship to liven up the off-season of the Eurovision Song Contest. This summer, two of the “Big Five” funders—Italy’s RAI and Germany’s ARD—have quietly told the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) they will wave Arrivederci and Auf Wiedersehen if Israel is expelled without rock-solid legal grounds.
Why the Sudden Sabre-Rattling?
Israel’s broadcaster KAN is under pressure from several member stations that argue Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza is incompatible with Eurovision’s feel-good ethos. Yet KAN insists it follows the rulebook to the letter and, crucially, is editorially independent of the Israeli government—an independence the EBU itself has publicly acknowledged.
Italy and Germany have seized on that point. Both broadcasters maintain that—unlike Russia’s VGTRK or Belarus’s BTRC, which were kicked out for acting as government mouthpieces—KAN is not a propaganda arm. Toss Israel out, they argue, and the EBU will be hard-pressed to explain why other politically awkward members remain. (One can already picture Graham Norton raising an eyebrow so high it requires its own pyrotechnic licence.)
Money Talks, and the Big Five Shout
The threat is not idle. Italy and Germany bankroll a hefty slice of Eurovision’s annual budget; losing them would punch a Eurovision-sized hole in the EBU’s wallet and upend the automatic-finalist system that keeps the cash flowing. The Union, hardly keen on a fiscal face-plant, is—how to put it politely—encouraging all parties to keep the music playing.
The Two Camps Forming
On the “expel Israel” side are Iceland and Spain, with Slovenia and a clutch of quieter sympathisers hovering in the wings. Lining up behind Israel are Switzerland (host of the 2025 contest in Basel), Austria (slated host in 2026), and the usual Mediterranean mates—Greece, Cyprus, and Azerbaijan. Should a vote occur, insiders reckon Germany and Italy would join that pro-Israel bloc faster than you can say “douze points.”
December Deadline—or Maybe a Festive Powder Keg
Everything now pivots on December’s EBU General Assembly. If hostilities in Gaza have calmed by then, Israel’s participation will likely glide through. If not, even staunch allies may decide the optics are simply too grim for a TV talent show famed for key changes and questionable trousers. One-year bans are the norm, but reputational damage can linger longer than a Eurovision earworm.
Sources: eurovisionfun- N12
