The Eurovision Song Contest board recently postponed an emergency vote on whether to ban Israel from next year’s competition in Vienna.
“The board agreed to place the issue on the agenda of its ordinary Winter General Assembly in December,” instead of the extraordinary online meeting originally scheduled for November, Reuters reported Monday, citing a statement from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).
Austria, which will host the May 2026 event, had urged countries not to boycott the contest over Israel’s participation amid the Gaza conflict.
The Austrian national broadcaster ORF told Reuters that it welcomed the EBU’s decision.
Several countries have pledged to withdraw from the event if Israel takes part, including the Netherlands and Ireland. Germany has said it would pull out of the contest if Israel is excluded.
Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire on Friday, ending a two-year conflict that began on Oct. 7, 2023, when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists invaded Israel, killing approximately 1,200 people and abducting around 251.
