Eurovision Organisers Postpone Vote To Exclude Israel Amid Ceasefire
Image: Noa Kriel/Instagram
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has delayed a vote over Israel’s participation in Eurovision following the recent ceasefire in Gaza.
Initially planned for next month, the decision to push the vote back to December was announced on Monday 13 October, only three days after the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came into effect.
Conservative figures estimate at least 67,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli military operations, with the United Nations has last month deemed a genocide.
“In light of recent developments in the Middle East, the Executive Board agrees that there is a clear need for an open and personal discussion among members on the question of participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026,” the EBU said in a statement.
“Therefore, the issue has been placed on the agenda of the regular winter General Assembly, scheduled for December, rather than at an extraordinary meeting beforehand.”
The broadcaster for the 2026 Eurovision host country, Austria’s ORF, praised the delay, saying it “helped maintain the unity and credibility of the contest.”
“Impartiality is a bedrock of who we are”, say SBS
Several countries, including the Netherlands, Spain, and Ireland have indicated their intention to walk away from next year’s competition if Israel was allowed to compete.
During the 2025 competition, more than 70 Eurovision acts signed an open letter calling for Israeli broadcaster KAN, and the country’s competing representative, Yuval Raphael, to be removed from the competition, and condemned the EBU for maintaining their platform.
“By continuing to platform the representation of the Israeli state, the EBU is normalising and whitewashing its crimes,” the letter read. “The EBU has already demonstrated that it is capable of taking measures, as in 2022, when it expelled Russia from the competition. We don’t accept this double standard regarding Israel.
“As singers, songwriters, musicians and others who have had the privilege of participating in Eurovision, we urge the EBU and all its member broadcasters to act now and prevent further discredit and disruption to the festival: Israel must be excluded from Eurovision.”
Acting Managing Director of SBS, Jane Palfreyman told a Senate Estimates earlier this year that the broadcaster would not take a position on the matter, despite acknowledging that it was an “issue of deep concern”.
“What I would say is impartiality is a bedrock of who we are and our reason for being, and as such, it’s not appropriate for us to form a view on this. It is a matter for the EBU. We’re aware they’re going to a vote with members in November, and we’ll look forward to hearing the outcome of that.”
