The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the organization responsible for staging the Eurovision Song Contest, announced this week that it has postponed a highly anticipated vote on Israel’s participation in Eurovision 2026. The decision comes in the wake of a landmark peace agreement that ended a two-year conflict between Israel and Hamas, a development that has shifted the dynamics not only in the Middle East but also within the Eurovision community itself.
According to Agence France-Presse and Euronews, the EBU executive board met on October 13, 2025, and 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.” Instead of holding an extraordinary meeting and a vote in November as previously planned, the EBU decided to move the discussion—and any potential vote—to its ordinary winter general assembly in December 2025.
This decision followed a flurry of diplomatic activity in the Middle East. President Donald Trump, in a rare return to international mediation, brokered a peace agreement that was signed on October 13, 2025. The deal resulted in the release of all remaining hostages taken by Hamas during their October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, and required Israel to release a significant number of Palestinian prisoners. In the aftermath, the Israel Defense Forces began withdrawing from Gaza, ending nearly two decades of Hamas control in the territory.
“In the light of recent developments in the Middle East, the EBU’s executive board… 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 EBU said in its official statement. The board decided to put the issue on the agenda for the winter general assembly in December, rather than organizing an extraordinary session in advance, as initially planned.
The peace agreement, according to AFP, was not just a bilateral affair. Key regional players—Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, and Qatar—committed to helping establish a new, legitimate government in Gaza and to aid in post-war reconstruction. Egypt hosted a summit in Sharm el-Sheikh to formalize these commitments, signaling a rare moment of regional cooperation after years of turmoil.
Eurovision, which will celebrate its 70th anniversary in 2026, was conceived in the aftermath of World War II as a way to foster unity and rebuild cultural ties across Europe. Over the decades, it has expanded to include countries from beyond Europe’s borders, such as Israel, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and, more recently, Australia. Israel joined the contest in 1973 and has since won four times, making it a significant participant in the Eurovision family.
The 2025 Eurovision Song Contest was particularly charged. Israel’s competitor, Yuval Raphael—a survivor of the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre—performed the song “New Day Will Rise” and finished in second place. Austria’s operatic singer JJ took the top prize with “Wasted Love.” Raphael’s strong showing, however, sparked a wave of antisemitic backlash and accusations of cheating, according to AFP. The Eurovision community on Reddit even shut down for 12 hours after the competition to stem a tide of hate speech, and Raphael faced threats and intimidation throughout the event, including from pro-Hamas demonstrators during the contest’s opening festivities.
Calls to exclude Israel from Eurovision have grown louder in recent years, especially from activists and broadcasters critical of Israel’s actions in Gaza. Broadcasters from Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain, and Slovenia all threatened to withdraw from the contest if Israel was not banned after the 2025 edition. In a high-profile interview following his victory, Austria’s JJ said he found Israel’s inclusion “very disappointing” and expressed his preference for the 2026 contest in Vienna to proceed without Israel. The Austrian government, however, took a different stance, announcing that if Israel were banned, Austria would relinquish its hosting duties and not participate in Eurovision at all.
The debate over Israel’s participation has often been compared to the EBU’s expulsion of Russia and Belarus from Eurovision in 2022, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine, which has competed since 2003, won the contest three times, most recently in 2022. Critics argue that Israel’s military operations in Gaza should be grounds for similar treatment, but supporters point out key differences: Hamas initiated the October 7, 2023, attack, and Israel’s response was framed as self-defense, not conquest. Unlike Russia, Israel has not sought to annex territory, and its government has indicated no desire to colonize Gaza.
Russia, for its part, responded to its expulsion by launching the “Intervision Song Contest,” a lower-budget alternative won by Vietnam in September 2025. The EBU, meanwhile, found itself in uncharted waters. “Given that the Union has never faced a divisive situation like this before, the Board agreed that this question merited a broader democratic basis for a decision,” EBU president Delphine Ernotte Cunci explained in a letter announcing the move to the December general assembly.
The EBU’s approach aims to balance the diverse and often conflicting views of its member broadcasters. Eurovision’s unique structure—where countries are represented by their public broadcasters, not governments—means that political and cultural debates often play out within the contest’s framework. The organization has historically tried to keep the contest apolitical, but the realities of geopolitics have repeatedly tested that resolve.
For now, the EBU’s decision to postpone the vote and opt for an open discussion reflects both the complexity of the issue and the rapidly changing context on the ground. The peace agreement brokered by President Trump has altered the calculus for many stakeholders, offering a potential path toward reconciliation and reconstruction in Gaza. Whether this will be enough to quell calls for Israel’s exclusion from Eurovision remains to be seen.
The December general assembly promises to be a pivotal moment for Eurovision and its values. As the contest approaches its 70th anniversary, its ability to foster unity and transcend political divisions will be tested as never before. The world—and Eurovision’s millions of fans—will be watching closely to see what comes next.
