The new state broadcaster in Israel, IBPC, has applied for full EBU-membership. If the EBU accepts their application, there is still hope for Israel to be able to compete in Lisbon, Portugal next year for the Eurovision Song Contest 2018.
The EBU can also allow Israel to take part, if they decline the application for IBPC. The current broadcaster IBA is no longer on air. Ofer Nachshon, the Israeli spokesperson’s, confirmed this right before he gave the votes. This does not have to mean that Israel will no longer be able to take part, however.
Still hope for Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest
It was known that the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation, IPBC in short, would take over the public broadcast. However the European Broadcasting Union raised concerns because they saw too much government interference. Also the channel would reportedly have no news broadcasts, a requirement to enjoy full EBU membership.
Since there is always room for exceptions, the EBU and host broadcaster RTP can always find a solution for Israel. In recent years, the country made an end to their bad streak of results and made it to the final three years in a row at the Eurovision Song Contest.