EditEurovision faces major test as countries weigh boycott over Israel’s participation
Thursday’s EBU meeting will test whether the broadcasters’ union treats the Gaza war the same way it treated Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
The Eurovision Song Contest faces a defining moment on Thursday when the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) holds a crucial meeting that could lead to a vote on whether Israel will be allowed to compete in the 2026.
Several public broadcasters, including those from Slovenia, Ireland, Spain and the Netherlands, have threatened to withdraw from next May’s contest in Austria if Israel is not excluded, citing the death toll in Gaza, which Gaza health authorities say has now exceeded 70,000.
The immediate trigger for the crisis talks is this year’s controversy surrounding Israel’s second-place finish with Yuval Raphael, a survivor of the 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks. Critics alleged coordinated campaigns unfairly boosted the Israeli entry, prompting the EBU to propose tougher rules against governments or third parties artificially inflating votes.
If members are not satisfied with the new measures, the EBU has confirmed a formal vote on participation could follow — though it stopped short of naming Israel directly.
The Israeli broadcaster KAN insists it has fully complied with all rules and described calls for exclusion as unjustified. Austria’s host broadcaster ORF wants Israel to take part, while an industry source told Reuters that a successful vote against Israel would likely lead Germany to pull out and not air the contest.
A long history of politics crashing the party
While Eurovision has always insisted it is non-political, the contest has repeatedly been dragged into geopolitical storms — often with strikingly similar debates about double standards and selective enforcement.
The most direct precedent is Russia’s exclusion in 2022, hours after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, when the EBU suspended Russian member broadcasters indefinitely.
Earlier flashpoints include:
– 1975–1976: Greece boycotted the contest over Turkey’s invasion of Cyprus; Turkey then stayed away the following year in protest at Greece’s entry seen as critical of the invasion.
– 1991–1993: Yugoslavia was barred or withdrew amid UN sanctions during the Balkan wars.
– 2009: Georgia’s entry “We Don’t Wanna Put In” — a clear dig at Vladimir Putin — was disqualified; Georgia refused to change the lyrics and withdrew.
– 2009–2016: repeated sanctions and fines between Armenia and Azerbaijan over voting manipulation, Nagorno-Karabakh flags and veiled references to the 1915 Armenian genocide.
– 2021: Belarus was disqualified after its song mocked the country’s pro-democracy protests.
– 2017 & 2022: Russia’s entrant was banned from Ukraine for performing in Crimea; Russia later withdrew entirely after the invasion.
Ukraine’s 2016 Eurovision victory with Jamala’s “1944”—a song ostensibly about the 1944 deportation of Crimean Tatars but widely interpreted as a veiled critique of Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea—sparked significant controversy for appearing to violate the contest’s no-politics rule, though the EBU ultimately deemed it historical rather than overtly political and allowed it to compete.
Israel itself has faced political heat before. In 2019 Iceland’s Hatari unfurled Palestinian flags during the televote, and in 2024 Israel’s original song title “October Rain” — containing references to the Hamas attacks — was forced to be changed to “Hurricane”. Protests and small-scale boycotts have accompanied Israeli participation for years, driven by the BDS movement.
Thursday’s meeting will therefore test whether the EBU treats the Gaza war the same way it treated Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — or whether the contest’s “non-political” rule is applied consistently, or whether, as critics have long argued, some conflicts are deemed more equal than others.
With Reuters, edited by g.g.
Caption: An Israeli fan celebrates with a flag of Israel during the show of the second semi-final at the 69th Eurovision Song Contest in Basel, Switzerland, 15 May 2025. The grand final of the ESC 2025 is scheduled for 17 May. EPA/GEORGIOS KEFALAS
Updated: December 3, 2025 - 17:35
