What is usually a celebration of national diversity, pop music, and high camp has become embroiled in diplomatic strife. Those boycotting say it would be unconscionable to take part given the number of civilians killed in Gaza amid Israel\u2019s war with Hamas, which began with the terror group\u2019s October 7, 2023, onslaught and was halted in a US-brokered ceasefire about two months ago. Israel has rejected those accusations, saying it has sought to minimize noncombatant casualties as it fought an enemy embedded in civilian infrastructure.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will allow all official flags that exist in the world, if they comply with the law and are in a certain form \u2014 size, security risks, etc.,\u201d the show\u2019s executive producer, Michael Kroen, told a news conference organized by the Austrian broadcaster, ORF.<\/p>\n
Kroen added that ORF \u201cwill not sugarcoat anything or avoid showing what is happening, because our task is to show things as they are.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\tGet The Times of Israel’s Daily Edition
\n\t\t\tby email and never miss our top stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\tBy signing up, you agree to the terms<\/a><\/p>\n The broadcaster will also not drown out the sound of any booing from the crowd, as happened in 2025 during Israel\u2019s performance, ORF\u2019s director of programming Stefanie Groiss-Horowitz said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe won\u2019t play artificial applause over it at any point,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \t Israel\u2019s 2025 entrant, Yuval Raphael, survived the Nova music festival, where more than 360 people were massacred during the Hamas attack. The CEO of Israeli broadcaster Kan has likened the efforts to exclude Israel in 2026 to a \u201ccultural boycott.\u201d<\/p>\n Anti-Israel furor heavily overshadowed the two most recent song contests, with headlines dominated by protests, threats, boos, and drama. That furor drove a backlash among pro-Israel viewers, who mobilized to vote for Eden Golan in 2024 and Raphael in 2025, sending them soaring in the popular vote.<\/p>\n Members of the EBU decided this month<\/a> against kicking Israel out of the contest. During an EBU conference, its members voted overwhelmingly in favor of accepting a package of reforms aimed at assuaging some of the concerns that had been raised over Israel\u2019s participation. The vote was seen as a de facto referendum on Israel\u2019s inclusion, since members were told that a vote explicitly on Israel would only be held if the reforms did not receive majority support.<\/p>\n ORF and the Austrian government were among the biggest supporters of Israel participating in next year\u2019s contest. ORF director general Roland Weissmann visited Israel<\/a> in November to show his support.<\/p>\n The decision to keep Israel in the competition has sparked anger from many of the contest\u2019s most devoted fans as well as some past participants. Last week, 2024 Eurovision winner Nemo said they were\u00a0returning their trophy<\/a>\u00a0to the EBU in protest of the decision, and Ireland\u2019s Charlie McGettigan, who won in 1994, said he would do the same.<\/p>\n This year\u2019s show drew around 166 million viewers, according to the European Broadcasting Union, more than the roughly 128 million who Nielsen estimates watched the American National Football League\u2019s Super Bowl.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t This year, send your loved ones a special connection to Israel and the Jewish world.<\/p>\n A Times of Israel Community gift membership entitles your recipient to one full year of membership benefits, at a special discounted price.<\/p>\n \t\t\t
\t\t\t
\t\t\tAlready a member? Sign in to stop seeing this<\/a><\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t You clearly find our careful reporting valuable, in a time when facts are often distorted and news coverage often lacks context.<\/p>\n Your support is essential to continue our work. We want to continue delivering the professional journalism you value, even as the demands on our newsroom have grown dramatically since October 7.<\/p>\n So today, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6 a month you’ll become our partners while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing\u00a0exclusive content\u00a0available only to Times of Israel Community members.<\/p>\n Thank you, \t\t\t
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AFP__20251204__87664WE__v1__HighRes__SwitzerlandIsraelMediaMusicAwardConflict-1-640x400.jpg\")
<\/a>
\n\t\tDirector General of Austrian national public broadcaster ORF Roland Weissmann speaks outside of the headquarters of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) during a general assembly of the EBU, which organises the Eurovision Song Contest, in Geneva on December 4, 2025. (Fabrice COFFRINI \/ AFP)<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tGive a Hanukkah gift that illuminates\t\t\t<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Menorah_Popup_600X600_option_5-400x400.png\" "\\"\\"\/")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tLearn more\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tLearn more\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tYou appreciate our journalism\t\t\t<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/DH-new-headshot-circular.png\" "\\"\\"\/")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tJoin Our Community\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n