Eurovision members to vote in November on Israeli participation

GENEVA

The organizer of the Eurovision Song Contest said on Sept. 26 its members would vote in November on Israel's participation next year, after calls to boycott the country over its war in Gaza.

"A letter has been sent... to Directors General of all our Members informing them that a vote on participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 will take place," the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) told AFP in an email.

It said the vote would take place "at an extraordinary meeting of the EBU's General Assembly to be held online in early November."

The decision came as a growing list of European countries threatened to pull out of the 2026 contest in Vienna if Israel is permitted to take part again.

Spain said last week it would boycott the world's largest live televised music event in May if Israel took part, and Ireland, Slovenia, Iceland and the Netherlands have made similar threats.

Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS cited the "ongoing and severe human suffering in Gaza," in its statement announcing its decision.

It alleged a "serious violation of press freedom" by Israel, pointing to "the deliberate exclusion of independent international reporting and the many casualties among journalists" in the territory.

And it accused Israel of "proven interference... during the last edition of the Song Contest," in which it came second, by lobbying the public overseas to vote for it.

Other countries such as Belgium, Sweden and Finland are also considering a boycott.

Austria, the host country for the 2026 edition, has slammed the boycott calls as "dumb and pointless," while Germany has also accused the countries behind the push of politicizing a cultural event.

"Excluding Israel today... turns a celebration of understanding between peoples into a tribunal," German Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer said at the weekend.

During the past two editions of the competition, the event was drawn into the controversy over Israel's devastating war in Gaza.

Pro-Palestinian activists protested in Malmo, Sweden in 2024 and in Basel, Switzerland last May over Israel's participation in the contest.

Amid the criticism voiced during those competitions, the EBU defended Israel's inclusion, noting its public is a long-time EBU member.