Eurovision to vote on Israel's entry amid boycott threats

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) will hold an extraordinary general meeting in November to decide whether Israel can compete in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest, organisers confirmed on Friday, as calls grow for the country's exclusion over the war in Gaza.

EBU spokesperson Dave Goodman said members will vote online on whether Kan, Israel's public broadcaster, should remain eligible. An "absolute majority" will be required for an exclusion to pass.

Several broadcasters, including those from Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain, have threatened to boycott the competition if Israel is not barred. Spain is one of Eurovision's so-called "Big Five" funders, alongside France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom, which guarantees its influence in the contest.

The looming decision has thrown Eurovision into one of its deepest crises, analysts say. "This is one of the biggest crises that Eurovision has ever faced because it has the potential to really cement division within the organisation," said Dean Vuletic, a historian of the contest.

He warned that the standoff could split broadcasters into rival blocs — one backing Israel, the other demanding its exclusion. Germany and Austria have voiced support for Israel's continued participation, while other major broadcasters, including the BBC, have yet to take a position.

Vuletic compared the current turmoil to past suspensions: Yugoslavia in the 1990s under UN sanctions, Belarus in 2021 for suppressing media freedoms, and Russia in 2022 after invading Ukraine.But he noted, "In both cases, we didn't see such strong divisions within the EBU."

Austria's Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger cautioned against politicising the contest, urging European counterparts to seek solutions for the Israel-Gaza conflict without turning Eurovision into "an instrument for sanctions."

The 2026 contest is scheduled for May in Vienna, following Austria's victory this year in Basel with JJ's song 'Wasted Love'. Eurovision, often dubbed the Olympics of pop music, draws entries from across Europe and beyond and has long mirrored political tensions alongside musical rivalry. The war in Gaza, started after Hamas's October 7, 2023 assault that killed 1,200 people in Israel, has since claimed more than 65,000 Palestinian lives, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.