Eurovision Members To Vote On Whether To Exclude Israel

(MENAFN- Swissinfo) The event's organizer has called an extraordinary general meeting for November, with countries like Spain and Ireland saying they will not take part in the contest if Israel does. This content was published on September 26, 2025 - 13:00 6 minutes Alex Marshall, The New York Times

For weeks, the world of the Eurovision Song Contest has convulsed with debate over whether Israel should take part in next year's competition given the growing humanitarian crisis amid its military campaign in the Gaza Strip.

Broadcasters from countries including Spain, Ireland and the Netherlands have said in recent weeks that they will withdraw if Israel takes part.

Other countries, including next year's host nation, Austria, have pleaded with them not to take such drastic action.

The Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) is organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), together with around 40 participating broadcasters. One of them is the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC), Swissinfo's parent company. In 2025, Israel took part in the ESC, which was hosted by Switzerland in May. So far, the SBC hasn't made a public statement on how it plans to vote on Israel's participation in the next contest.

This box was added by Swissinfo.

Behind the scenes, Eurovision organizers have been buying time, hoping to conjure up a nondivisive solution.

Now, a decision is set to be made.

On Thursday, the board of the European Broadcasting Union, which organizes the high-camp event, said in an email that it would host an extraordinary general meeting in early November at which member broadcasters will vote on Israeli participation.

A Eurovision spokesperson gave no further details.

Unprecedented situation

In a letter to members, Delphine Ernotte Cunci, the union's president, said the organization had“never faced a divisive situation like this before.”

First held in 1956, Eurovision has long billed itself as an apolitical event that shows that nations can put aside political differences for one evening and unite in song. But in the two years since the war in Gaza broke out after the October 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, the presence of Israel at Eurovision has often overshadowed the event.

Singers have demanded Israel's exclusion, and demonstrators have staged protests. Eurovision fans also criticized the 2024 song submitted by Israel's broadcaster as being veiled commentary on the war in Gaza. The contest's organizers said that the lyrics had to be changed.

At this year's final in Basel, Switzerland, Israel came second after its act, Yuval Raphael, a survivor of the Hamas attack, secured the largest public vote. It was only in the show's final moments that Austria's contestant leaped ahead.

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