Dave Goodman, spokesperson for the European Broadcasting Union (EBU)—the organisation responsible for Eurovision and representing public broadcasters across Europe—confirmed to AP that a letter has been sent to members outlining plans for an extraordinary general meeting, to be held online in early November, during which the vote will take place.
The ballot will decide whether Kan, Israel’s state broadcaster and EBU member, will be permitted to take part, Goodman said in an email. An “absolute majority” will be required for Israel’s exclusion to pass.
Several countries, including Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Spain, have threatened to boycott Eurovision unless Israel is excluded over its nearly two-year war in Gaza, which the United Nations, International Court of Justice, genocide scholars, human rights bodies, and aid organisations say amounts to genocide.
Spain, notably, is among the five largest financial contributors to the contest, alongside France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom.
The Eurovision Song Contest is presented as a celebration of music and cultural unity, where performers from across Europe—and beyond—compete under their national flags for continental glory. Yet, as always, the contest remains a stage for deeply entrenched political tensions and regional conflicts.
“This is one of the biggest crises that Eurovision has ever faced because it has the potential to really cement division within the organisation,” Dean Vuletic, a historian specialising in Eurovision’s political history, told AP
“If we have two blocs, one which is threatening a boycott and another which is remaining steadfast in its support of Israel, then this is potentially the most serious crisis that the contest has faced,” Vuletic added.
Germany and Austria have expressed support for Israel’s continued participation, while broadcasters such as the BBC have yet to clarify their positions.
Vuletic drew parallels with previous Eurovision exclusions, including that of the former Yugoslavia during the Balkans conflict in the 1990s under UN sanctions, as well as the bans on Belarus in 2021 for media repression, and Russia in 2022 following its invasion of Ukraine.
“In both cases, we didn’t see such strong divisions within the EBU,” he noted, referring to the Belarus and Russia situations.
Kan, Israel’s state broadcaster, took to X on Thursday to express hope that the contest “will continue to uphold its cultural and non-political identity.”
Last week, Austria’s Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger voiced concern over potential boycotts of the 2026 Eurovision in Vienna, insisting the event should not be “an instrument for sanctions.” She wrote on X that she had appealed to European colleagues to find ways to “improve the situation in Israel and Gaza” together.
The 2026 contest is scheduled for May in Vienna, following the tradition that hosting rights go to the previous year’s winner. Austria’s JJ secured victory in Basel, Switzerland, with the song “Wasted Love.”
Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 65,000 Palestinians and injured more than 165,000 others, most of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
An Israeli blockade on the strip, now approaching its eighth month, has cut off food, fuel, water, and medical supplies, leading the UN to officially declare famine.
Relentless bombardment and siege have displaced nearly all of Gaza’s 2.3 million people, many multiple times, and reduced the territory to ruins.
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