Eurovision Song Contest

EBU approves Israel's 2026 Eurovision song after undergoing minor adjustments

Each song undergoes a review process, and EBU officials requested a few minor adjustments for Israel's entry, which the Israeli songwriters agreed to.

|ByHANNAH BROWN
Noam Bettan will represent Israel at Eurovision 2026.
Yuval Raphael, representing Israel, performs "New Day Will Rise", during the Grand Final of the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest in Basel, Switzerland, May 17, 2025.

Former Eurovision contestant Yuval Raphael co-writes song selected for this year's submission

Israel’s public broadcaster KAN announced Friday that the song, which was written by Raphael with Nadav Aharoni and Tzlil Klipi, was selected on Friday by its professional committee.

|ByHANNAH BROWN
Eurovision 2026 logo

Italian broadcast reps. urge inclusion of Palestine in Eurovision 

Only countries with a public broadcaster that is a member of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) participate in Eurovision, and Palestine does not have a public broadcaster.

|ByHANNAH BROWN
ISRAEL HAS been singled out as no country ever has been before at Eurovision. Here, viewers cheer as they watch this year’s Eurovision Song Contest finals being screened at a community center in Tel Aviv, in May.

Israel will take part in the first Eurovision semifinal, EBU announces

This year’s Eurovision contest will take place in Austria in May, with the semifinals set for May 12 and May 14 and the finals on May 16.

|ByHANNAH BROWN

Grapevine, May 2, 2024: Heroes and heroines

Movers and shakers in Israeli society.

MAY 3, 2024ByGREER FAY CASHMAN
Israeli soldiers look up at pictures of victims of the Holocaust at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial centre, ahead of the Holocaust Remembrance Day starting this evening, at the Hall of Names, in Jerusalem April 27, 2022.

Swedish Police approve Quran burning event in Malmo ahead of Eurovision

Despite the approval, concerns persist regarding the divisive nature of such demonstrations and their impact on community cohesion.

MAY 2, 2024ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Pedestrians walk past the flags for the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmo, Sweden, May 1, 2024.

This year, Eurovision actually matters - editorial

Anti-Israel activists have been calling for months to bar Israel from the contest and have unsuccessfully lobbied other countries’ participants to boycott the competition.

MAY 2, 2024ByJPOST EDITORIAL
DEMONSTRATORS IN Malmo, Sweden, protest Israel’s participation in the Eurovision, earlier this month.

The competition begins: Eden Golan lands in Malmo for 2024 Eurovision Song Contest

Golan will be accompanied by heavy security in Malmo due to the anti-Israel and antisemitic atmosphere in the city, which has only increased since Israel’s war against Hamas broke out.

APRIL 30, 2024ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
EDEN GOLAN performs in the final of the ‘The Next Star for Eurovision,’ in February. ‘One thing is for sure; my kids will be up until 1 a.m. to watch, even if hopes for a top ranking are not high,’ says the writer.

'Fear of riots': Anti-Israel tensions rise in Malmo ahead of Eurovision

Four Jews living in Malmo, Sweden, reflect on the rise in antisemitic and anti-Israel tensions in the city, which have spiked since October 7, ahead of Eurovision.

APRIL 30, 2024ByDUDI PATIMER
People hold a banner at a demonstration in connection with the municipal board's consideration of a citizens' proposal by the initiative 'No Eurovision in Malmo with Israel's participation' to stop Israel's participation in Eurovision, outside the City Hall in Malmo, Sweden, April 10, 2024.

Eden Golan to face a ‘hurricane’ of possible antisemitism in Malmo

The international song contest will be held this year in Malmo, Sweden, considered to be one of the most antisemitic cities in the world, making Israel's participation more complicated.

APRIL 27, 2024ByHANNAH BROWN
EDEN GOLAN, Israel’s representative at the Eurovision Song Contest, speaks during a press conference in Tel Aviv, last month.

Eurovision Song Contest host Sweden braces for anti-Israel protests

Much focus is expected to be on Israeli contestant Eden Golan and her song Hurricane, as multiple large pro-Palestinian protests are planned outside the venue in Malmo.

APRIL 24, 2024ByREUTERS
Protestors take part in a demonstration organized by 'Together for Palestine' to demand ceasefire and exclude Israel from the Eurovision Song Contest, in Stockholm, Sweden, February 17, 2024.

Israeli singer Eden Golan receives death threats ahead of Eurovision song competition

The singer who will represent Israel in the competition is facing difficulties due to the war backlash, and after her song was almost disqualified by the European Broadcasting Union.

APRIL 9, 2024ByMAOR BEN HAROSH
The instinct is to think that Eden Golan should give big speeches, defend us, but in fact the opposite is true

Performers refuse to boycott Eurovision simply because Israel is involved

Nine participants of the upcoming Eurovision contest will not boycott the annual competition, simply because of Israel's involvement.

MARCH 31, 2024ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Noa Kirel from Israel performs during the grand final of the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool, Britain, May 13, 2023.

Will Israel's new Eurovision entry blow judges away?

It wasn’t easy to get Israel’s song choice approved this year, but “Hurricane” finally received the thumbs up from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which runs the annual contest.

MARCH 12, 2024ByHANNAH BROWN
Eden Golan