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As numerous broadcasters request meetings with Eurovision Song Contest organisers over what they fear may be voting irregularities, a report from Turkey claims that Germany threatened to take a much more consequential step: withdrawing from the contest if Israel were excluded.
The claim comes from the Turkish newspaper Cumhuriyet, a long-established Turkish publication known for its investigative journalism. Cumhuriyet attributes the information to Dr Martin Gak, a journalist for Deutsche Welle, who is said to have cited an unnamed source within the European Broadcasting Union.
Germany’s reported influence
According to the report, discussions among EBU members about Israel’s participation during the Gaza conflict included a clear warning from Germany: excluding Israel would lead ARD to withdraw Germany from the Eurovision Song Contest.
Dr Gak reportedly presented Germany as an influential EBU member and said that ARD’s position was a decisive factor in Israel remaining in the contest. If accurate, that would place a national broadcaster’s political and institutional weight at the centre of a decision the EBU has continued to frame in different terms.
For now, though, this remains a reported claim rather than a confirmed account. There has been no official confirmation from ARD or the EBU. The report’s key source is also unnamed, even though the claim itself is attributed to Dr Gak.
The EBU has maintained that Eurovision is a non-political event, and that participation decisions are based on membership criteria rather than political considerations. A German threat to withdraw over Israel’s inclusion would underline the uncomfortable gap between that stated position and the political pressures surrounding the contest.
Further statements from ARD, the EBU or other involved parties may clarify whether Germany actually issued such a warning—or whether this is simply another unverified account of the discussions taking place behind the scenes.
