The organization responsible for the Eurovision Song Contest has announced that it will conduct a vote to determine whether Israel should be permitted to participate in next year's event. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has confirmed that it will extend invitations to all 68 of its member countries to voice their opinions at a general assembly meeting scheduled for early November. A decision will hinge on a simple majority, meaning that if over 50% of the members vote to exclude Israel, the nation will not participate in the 2026 contest.
Israel's ongoing participation in Eurovision has become a contentious issue amid the persistent conflict in Gaza, with several countries already advocating for its exclusion. The EBU has affirmed that all 68 member countries will be invited to participate in the vote, including broadcasters from nations that do not take part in Eurovision, such as Tunisia, Egypt, Turkey, Algeria, Jordan, and Lebanon.
Israel secured second place in the most recent Eurovision Song Contest in May, with its performer Yuval Raphael garnering the highest combined public vote. However, the inclusion of jury votes ultimately led to Austria being declared the overall winner, and the next contest is set to take place in Vienna.
In recent weeks, countries including Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Iceland, and Spain have all expressed that they would consider withdrawing from Eurovision if Israel's participation continues. The Irish broadcaster, RTÉ, stated that Ireland's involvement in the event "would be unconscionable given the ongoing and appalling loss of lives in Gaza." Similarly, the Dutch public broadcaster, Avrotros, said it could no longer justify Israel's inclusion "given the ongoing and severe human suffering in Gaza."
Conversely, Israel's public broadcaster Kan has argued that it should be allowed to participate, emphasizing that it is "one of the contest's longstanding, popular, and successful participants." A spokesperson for the network remarked, "The potential disqualification of Israel's public broadcaster Kan would be especially troubling ahead of the 70th edition of the song contest, which was founded as a symbol of unity, solidarity, and fellowship."
Austria's foreign minister had also previously written to colleagues in six countries that were threatening a boycott, urging them to reconsider. She asserted that Eurovision and the arts, in general, are "not the appropriate arenas for sanctions." Beate Meinl-Reisinger emphasized, "Excluding Israel from the Eurovision Song Contest or boycotting the event would neither ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza nor contribute to finding a sustainable political solution."
In the UK, Eurovision is broadcast by the BBC. Last week, the corporation's director-general, Tim Davie, acknowledged that he was "aware of the concerns" surrounding Israel's participation.
The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in approximately 1,200 fatalities and the capture of 251 hostages. Since then, at least 65,419 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.
