On Thursday, Kan, the Israeli broadcaster, wrote on X that it hoped the contest "will continue to uphold its cultural and non-political identity." "The potential disqualification of Israel's public broadcaster KAN one of the contest's long-standing, popular and successful participants would be especially concerning as we approach the 70th edition of the song contest, which was founded as a symbol of unity, solidarity and fellowship," the broadcaster added.
The board of the EBU, an umbrella organisation for public broadcasters that runs the event, has sent a letter to members indicating that the vote will take place at an extraordinary general meeting held online in early November, a spokesperson said. The vote will be on whether Kan, the Israeli public broadcaster and member of the EBU, will participate, the spokesperson said. An absolute majority would be required for an exclusion to pass, he said.
Boycotting - the act of conscientiously refusing to patronize a brand or buy a product for moral reasons - has been a common way for consumers to exercise collective influence for well over a century. In the modern day, boycotts are usually targeted at large brands and tend to be organized informally through social media campaigns that are shared widely between individuals with similar moral or political views.