Eurovision drops emergency vote on Israel’s inclusion after Gaza ceasefire

An emergency vote on whether Israel should be allowed to compete in next year’s Eurovision Song Contest has been cancelled following the Gaza ceasefire, organisers confirmed.

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) said it had initially scheduled an extraordinary online meeting for early November, after several member countries threatened to withdraw from the contest if Israel remained involved.

But in a statement released on Monday, the EBU said that “following recent developments in the Middle East,” its executive board had agreed to hold an in-person discussion instead at its winter general assembly in December.

“The issue of participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 has now been added to the agenda,” the statement read, with further details to be shared with members “in the coming weeks”. It is unclear whether a formal vote will still take place.

Austria, which is set to host next year’s contest in Vienna, welcomed the EBU’s decision, its broadcaster ORF told Reuters.

The proposed vote had been triggered by growing controversy over Israel’s involvement amid the Gaza war. Broadcasters from Slovenia, Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland and Iceland had all signalled they might boycott the competition if Israel took part.

As one of Eurovision’s “Big Five” financial backers, Spain’s withdrawal would have carried significant economic and reputational consequences for the event, which remains the world’s largest live music competition. However, there were also indications that Germany, another of the “Big Five”, would withdraw if Israel were disqualified, with Austria, themselves due to host the competition, also signalling significant unhappiness at the prospect of Israel being forced not to compete.

In a letter sent last month, EBU president Delphine Ernotte Cunci wrote that “given the union has never faced a divisive situation like this before”, the board felt the matter “merited a broader democratic basis for a decision”.

The move to delay a vote came hours after a landmark ceasefire deal saw Hamas free the final living Israeli hostages from Gaza and Israel release busloads of Palestinian prisoners, bringing a fragile end to the two-year war.

The conflict began on 7 October 2023 when Hamas launched a cross-border attack that killed around 1,200 people and abducted 251 others.