The organisers of the Eurovision Song Contest have postponed a vote on whether Israel should be allowed to perform in next year's competition. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) said 'recent developments in the Middle East' had prompted it to cancel the virtual meeting to vote on the matter, which was scheduled to take place in November. It said Israel's participation would instead be discussed at an in-person meeting in December, though it did not make clear whether a vote would still take place. Israel's participation in Eurovision has faced opposition from some other participating countries due to the war in Gaza.
On Monday, all 20 living Israeli hostages were freed by Hamas in exchange for the return of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. It comes after a ceasefire came into force on Friday. In a statement, the EBU said: 'In the light of recent developments in the Middle East, the EBU's executive board (meeting on October 13) agreed there was a clear need to organise an open and in-person discussion among its members on the issue of participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026.' The board agreed to put the issue on the agenda of its ordinary winter general assembly, which will be taking place in December, rather than organising an extraordinary session in advance.
Austrian national broadcaster ORF, which will host the contest in 2026, welcomed the EBU's decision, previously urging countries not to boycott the contest next year in Vienna. Spain, Ireland, Slovenia, Iceland, and the Netherlands have all said they would consider boycotting if Israel took part. The BBC has reached out to Israel's national broadcaster, Kan, for comment, amid discussions on the ramifications of Israel's participation.
On Monday, all 20 living Israeli hostages were freed by Hamas in exchange for the return of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. It comes after a ceasefire came into force on Friday. In a statement, the EBU said: 'In the light of recent developments in the Middle East, the EBU's executive board (meeting on October 13) agreed there was a clear need to organise an open and in-person discussion among its members on the issue of participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026.' The board agreed to put the issue on the agenda of its ordinary winter general assembly, which will be taking place in December, rather than organising an extraordinary session in advance.
Austrian national broadcaster ORF, which will host the contest in 2026, welcomed the EBU's decision, previously urging countries not to boycott the contest next year in Vienna. Spain, Ireland, Slovenia, Iceland, and the Netherlands have all said they would consider boycotting if Israel took part. The BBC has reached out to Israel's national broadcaster, Kan, for comment, amid discussions on the ramifications of Israel's participation.
