Europe’s music giant is reaching a tipping point

The Eurovision Song Contest faces a “cut-off moment” on Thursday (today), when members of the contest’s organizing body can vote on whether Israel can take part in 2026, as several countries threaten to pull out due to the war in Gaza.

Members of the European Broadcasting Union will meet to consider new rules aimed at preventing governments and third parties from disproportionately promoting entries to sway voters, following this year’s row over Israel’s second-place finish.

If broadcasters are not satisfied the measures are sufficient, a vote on membership will be held, the EBU said, without directly naming Israel.

Public broadcasters in Slovenia, Ireland, Spain and the Netherlands have all threatened to boycott the event, scheduled for May in Austria, if Israel is allowed to compete. Concerns are being raised about the Palestinian death toll in Gaza, which has exceeded 70,000, according to Gaza health authorities.

Eurovision, which attracts around 150 million viewers worldwide, aims to remain non-political, but the conflict in Gaza has called that into question. A boycott by some of the biggest European participants, including Spain, could cause a significant drop in audience figures and sponsorship interest.

This year, critics accused Israel of unfairly boosting the result of newcomer Yuval Raphael, a survivor of the October 7 Hamas attack that sparked the war. Israel has not responded to the accusations, but often maintains that it is the target of a global smear campaign.

“We very much hope that the package of measures will reassure members that we have taken strong action to protect the neutrality and impartiality of the Song Contest,” the EBU said.

Eurovision expert Paul Jordan, who completed his PhD on the contest, said it represented a “critical moment”. “This is a real crisis point for Eurovision and the EBU — I think it should probably go to a vote,” he said.

Ben Robertson from fan website ESC Insight highlighted the risk of losing viewers, but warned that Israel’s exclusion could leave Eurovision increasingly isolated.

Luxembourg’s RTL broadcaster supported the proposed changes, while Norway’s NRK described the EBU’s direction of travel as “promising”. If a vote against Israel succeeds, Germany will likely withdraw and refuse to broadcast the contest, a broadcasting industry source told Reuters.

Austrian broadcaster ORF wants Israel to join. Sources at Israeli broadcaster KAN told Reuters they believed any talk of Israel’s exclusion was unwarranted, insisting KAN fully complies with EBU rules.

They also highlighted KAN’s support for Israeli performers who, they said, provided unforgettable Eurovision moments. Russia remains banned from Eurovision since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.