A proposal to split the Israeli public broadcaster Kan is threatening Israel’s hopes for holding the Eurovision Song Contest next year.
The European Broadcasting Union said Israel’s membership in the competition could be withdrawn if plans to divide the organisation into separate news and entertainment divisions are carried through.
“We are not aware of any ... organization that operates the news in a totally separate entity with a separate governance,” the EBU said in its letter sent to Kan’s chairman last Friday, which was obtained by Haaretz.
The letter added that if the proposed law was ratified, the request for Israeli membership would be re-examined by a regulatory body that ensures the broadcaster can uphold the EBU’s core values.
