Media: Israel’s Eurovision fate waits as vote delays

On October 13, the European Broadcasting Union announced that Eurovision Song Contest organisers will not hold their online meeting in November to vote on Israel’s participation, citing recent Middle East developments, likely referring to the Gaza ceasefire.

The vote was initially scheduled for November but has now been pushed to December, Caliber.Az reports via Reuters.

Austria had appealed to countries not to boycott next year's contest - due to be held in Vienna - over Israel's participation and concerns about the two-year-old Gaza conflict.

Austria’s national broadcaster, ORF, which is set to host the 2026 contest, told Reuters that it welcomed the EBU’s decision.

In September, the EBU sent a letter to broadcasters involved in organising the contest, informing them of the upcoming vote on whether to allow Israel’s public broadcaster Kan to take part in the event. 

The move followed boycott threats from several European broadcasters — including those in Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland, and Slovenia — should Israel be permitted to participate.

By Khagan Isayev