GENEVA – Israel’s participation in the Eurovision Song Contest will be debated at a two-day meeting of member broadcasters in Geneva starting Thursday, following calls to exclude the country over its Gaza war tactics.
Countries including Iceland, Ireland, Spain and the Netherlands, have threatened in recent months to pull out of the 2026 contest if Israel takes part.
Others, including Belgium, Finland and Sweden, have also indicated they were considering a boycott over the situation in Gaza.
In justifying its decision, Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS highlighted a “serious violation of press freedom” by Israel in Gaza.
It accused Israel of “proven interference… during the last edition of the Song Contest” — in which it came second — by lobbying the public overseas to vote for it.
The European Broadcasting Union, which organizes the glitzy competition, had planned to convene member broadcasters in November for a vote on the issue.
But a few days after the October 10 announcement of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, the EBU postponed a decision until its ordinary general assembly on December 4 and 5.
Then last month, in an apparent bid to avoid a contentious vote, the EBU announced that it had changed its voting rules to address members’ concerns and to strengthen “trust and transparency”.
During this week’s meeting, broadcasters will therefore be asked to consider whether the new measures are sufficient or whether they still wish to see a vote on Israel’s participation.
