Israel has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest since 1973 – and is one of the competition's most successful countries with four wins. But a new bill from the Israeli government can put a stop to the country's participation.
Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi has submitted a proposal to the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, to privatize the TV company KAN.
If the proposal is approved, Israel will most likely be expelled from the EBU, the European Broadcasting Union, and thus also the Eurovision Song Contest, according to the EBU for Jerusalem Post. The EBU only gathers public service companies, primarily in Europe.
The proposal has support among the parties in the Knesset that voted for privatization in a first vote on November 27. A final vote is expected to take place in early January.
Karhi has not wanted to comment on the statement from the EBU, according to Jerusalem Post.
The employees at KAN are highly critical. Foreign editor Eran Cicurel describes the privatization proposal as a own goal at a time when many want to exclude Israel from the Eurovision Song Contest due to the war in Gaza.
For a whole year, our enemies have tried to stop Israel's right to participate in Eurovision. But now Karhi is doing the job for them by driving us out of Eurovision, says Cicurel.
