The EBU State Eurovision 2019 To Be Held In Israel

The last few weeks have had the re-occuring question of will they? or wont they? There has been quite the stir since Israel won the Eurovision crown this year. Due to continuing troubles in Gaza over the Palestinian issue, it looked set that the contest may not be held in Israel at all. Tonight, a statement from the EBU seems to suggest that Israel will definitely be hosting next years show.

Several countries had threatened to withdraw from the competition if the next contest were to be held in Jerusalem which was initially promised by Netta upon winning. The EBU had even sent stark warnings to the middle eastern nation that they would be prepared to take the contest outside the country, if a proper bidding process was not to be implemented, and politics governed the host city. There were even suggestions thrown in that Austria would be tipped as one of the countries to take over.

Prior to today's meeting, the Sport and Culture minister, along with others had been reported to have said that. "it's Jerusalem or nothing", that had led to the EBU issuing threats to the country, that they may not host.

However, it appears that all of these worries have been allayed. Today, the national broadcaster for Israel met with the EBU, and other European broadcasters in Geneva, and it appears that this meeting was a big success. All aspects of the contests were discussed, and it appears those initial tensions have been eased.

These issues were also alleviated earlier in the week when the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had told the European Broadcasting Union that on a political level, they would not get involved in deciding which city gets to host the next contest, or interfere with the contest itself.

Therefore, the host broadcaster KAN can now do its work on selecting a host city, depending on the success of tendered bids, whilst putting on a show that the Eurovision community can be proud off. They can also select the relevant team to be responsible for putting on a world class show. It has been rumoured that Yuval Cohen has been appointed editor, and director of the next contest.

A little over an hour ago the EBU released this official statement on their twitter, almost guaranteeing Israel will host next years competition.

RTP have officially handed over the running of the contest to KAN, and as mentioned, "key milestones was agreed". With this now occurring the traditional bidding process can now begin. It has already been stated that there will more than likely be four bids that will come from Eilat, Haifa, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. The statement also makes it clear that the month of September will see the official city announced, along with the dates. This will please many fans, as they will then have a chance to make arrangements.

It will not be easy for KAN or Israel as there will be a big issue of security, and protecting the fans, singers and visitors to the country, for the contest. The eyes of the world will be on the nation, and they will want to prove all the doubters wrong.

What do you think about today's announcement? Which city would you like to see hosting Eurovision 2019? Please tell us your thoughts in the comments below.

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