Eurovision will vote to decide veto to Israel's participation

Festival competitors represent their countries, which increases the tension over the presence of the country due to the war in Gaza

The European Union of Broadcasting (EBU) has announced that it will hold an extraordinary vote among its members to decide whether Israel could participate in the Eurovision festival in 2026.

The consultation, scheduled for early November, represents a historical change in the entity’s stance, which for years maintained that the event was “strictly apolitical”.

The measure was taken after a climb of tensions involving Israel’s presence in the competition.

Countries such as Spain, Ireland, Iceland, Slovenia, and the Netherlands announced that they would boycott the Festival if Israel was admitted in the final that will take place in Vienna, citing concerns with the military offensive in Gaza and the humanitarian impact of the conflict.

Unprecedented vote will define Israel’s future at Eurovision

The vote will be held in early November 2025 at an extraordinary general meeting online.

All 68 members of EBU will have the right to vote, and the decision will be made by a simple majority. If more than 50% of the votes are opposed, Israel will be excluded from the 2026 edition.

Artists represent their countries at the festival

Performed annually since 1956, Eurovision is organized by European Broadcasting Union (EBU)an association that brings together the main public television and radio broadcasters in Europe and associated countries.

Its members include channels such as the BBC (United Kingdom), RTVE (Spain), France Télévisions (France), ARD (Germany), Ruv (Iceland) and Kan (Israel).

Each participating country chooses a musical artist or group to represent it, usually through a national team. These representatives compete with original songs, and the winner is chosen by a combination of vows from the public and professional jurors.

For this reason, although the festival promotes cultural diversity and the union between nations, there is a direct association between the artists and the countries they represent. This makes the event especially sensitive to political and diplomatic issues, such as the current controversy involving Israel.

Accumulated pressure against Israel

Although the controversy has reached its peak this year, the pressure against Israeli participation is not new. Since the beginning of the war in Gaza, civil groups, artists and even public broadcasters have been asking Ebu to reconsider his position.

Until then, the organization remained firm, claiming that Eurovision was a space of cultural union, free from political disputes, although Russia was vetoed after the invasion of Ukraine.

However, the events of the 2025 edition, held in Malmö, were a watershed. The Israeli song “Octber Rain” was the target of criticism for allegedly containing references to the October 7 attack.

After weeks of negotiations, the letter was modified to meet EBU requirements. Even so, the festival was marked by protests on the streets, public statements of artists and behind the scenes.