PM nixes splitting public broadcaster amid Eurovision cancellation fears

In a sharp reversal, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announces that the government will amend a law to divide the public broadcaster into separate entities amid growing fears the legislation could stymie plans to hold the Eurovision song competition in Israel next year.

The decision to change the legislation came after a meeting between Netanyahu, Communications Minister Ayoub Kara, Culture and Sport Minister Miri Regev, Tourism Minister Yariv Levin, Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit and legal officials.

“The attorney general gave his opinion that the law [to split the broadcaster] will be detrimental to holding the Eurovision in Israel. Therefore, it was agreed to amend the legislation… in order to allow the Eurovision to take place in Israel,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.

The decision comes after the European Broadcasting Union, which organizes Eurovision, warned earlier this month that if the public broadcaster’s news and non-news divisions are split into separate bodies, Israel’s membership will be reconsidered, possibly preventing the contest from being held in the Jewish state in 2019 as planned.

Under EBU rules, the public broadcaster in each participating country must have a news division attached.