**The event’s organizer has called an extraordinary general meeting for November, with countries like Spain and Ireland saying they will not take part in the contest if Israel does.**
*For weeks, the world of the Eurovision Song Contest has convulsed with debate over whether Israel should take part in next year’s competition given the growing humanitarian crisis amid its military campaign in the Gaza Strip.*
*Broadcasters from countries including Spain, Ireland and the Netherlands have said in recent weeks that they will withdraw if Israel takes part.*
*Other countries including next year’s host nation, Austria, have pleaded with them not to take such drastic action.*
*Behind the scenes, Eurovision organizers have been buying time, hoping to conjure up a non-divisive solution.*
*Now, a decision is set to be made.*
*On Thursday, the board of the European Broadcasting Union, which organizes the high-camp event, said in an email that it would host an extraordinary general meeting in early November at which member broadcasters will vote on Israeli participation.*
*The event’s organizer has called an extraordinary general meeting for November, with countries like Spain and Ireland saying they will not take part in the contest if Israel does.*
*For weeks, the world of the Eurovision Song Contest has convulsed with debate over whether Israel should take part in next year’s competition given the growing humanitarian crisis amid its military campaign in the Gaza Strip.*
*Broadcasters from countries including Spain, Ireland and the Netherlands have said in recent weeks that they will withdraw if Israel takes part.*
*Other countries including next year’s host nation, Austria, have pleaded with them not to take such drastic action.*
*Behind the scenes, Eurovision organizers have been buying time, hoping to conjure up a non-divisive solution.*
*Now, a decision is set to be made.*
*On Thursday, the board of the European Broadcasting Union, which organizes the high-camp event, said in an email that it would host an extraordinary general meeting in early November at which member broadcasters will vote on Israeli participation.*
*A Eurovision spokesman gave no further details.*
*In a letter to members, Delphine Ernotte Cunci, the union’s president, said the organization had “never faced a divisive situation like this before.”*
*First held in 1956, Eurovision has long billed itself as an apolitical event that shows that nations can put aside political differences for one evening and unite in song. But in the two years since the war in Gaza broke out after the October 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, the presence of Israel at Eurovision has often overshadowed the event.*
*Singers have demanded Israel’s exclusion, and demonstrators have staged protests. Eurovision fans also criticized the 2024 song submitted by Israel’s broadcaster as being veiled commentary on the war in Gaza. The contest’s organizers said that the lyrics had to be changed.*
*At this year’s final in Basel, Switzerland, Israel came second after its act, Yuval Raphael, a survivor of the Hamas attack, secured the largest public vote. It was only in the show’s final moments that Austria’s contestant leaped ahead.*
*Shortly after the event, some countries complained that Israel’s government had tried to manipulate the vote, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and official Israeli social media accounts urging voting, and the Israeli Government Advertising Agency, which operates under the prime minister’s office, buying YouTube ads to encourage voting.*
*In July, the European Broadcasting Union’s members discussed Israeli participation at a meeting, but made no decision. Instead, the organization commissioned an expert to collect members’ views for discussion at its general assembly in December.*
*Yet in recent weeks, pressure to act has grown. On Sept. 11, RTÉ, Ireland’s national broadcaster, said in a statement that it would “not take part in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest if the participation of Israel goes ahead.”*
*Ireland has won Eurovision seven times and, along with Sweden, is the competition’s most successful nation.*
*“RTÉ feels that Ireland’s participation would be unconscionable given the ongoing and appalling loss of lives in Gaza,” the statement said, adding that the broadcaster was also “deeply concerned by the targeted killing of journalists in Gaza, and the denial of access to international journalists to the territory, and the plight of the remaining hostages.”*
*Around the same time, the Dutch national broadcaster also said it would withdraw if Israel took part, as did RTVE in Spain.*
*José Pablo López, the president of RTVE, told the broadcaster in an interview that it was inaccurate for Eurovision’s organizers to ever argue that the event was apolitical. “We are all aware that the contest carries significant political implications,” he said. “The Israeli government is equally aware of this fact and leverages the event on the international stage.”*
*“We consider it essential to speak out against what is happening in Gaza and to take a visible, meaningful stand,” he said.*
*KAN, Israel’s public broadcaster, said that the country should be allowed to take part.*
*“The potential disqualification of Israel’s public broadcaster KAN — one of the contest’s longstanding, popular and successful participants — would be especially troubling ahead of the 70th edition of the song contest, which was founded as a symbol of unity, solidarity and fellowship,” a KAN spokesman said in a statement. “Any such move could have wide-ranging implications for the competition and the values for which the E.B.U. stands.”*
*Lawmakers are now weighing in, too. This month, Beate Meinl-Reisinger, Austria’s foreign minister, wrote to colleagues in six nations weighing a boycott, asking them to reconsider.*
*“I firmly believe that the Eurovision Song Contest in particular — and the arts in general — are not the appropriate arenas for sanctions,” she said. “Excluding Israel from the Eurovision Song Contest or boycotting the event would neither ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza nor contribute to finding a sustainable political solution.”*
[deleted] on
[deleted]
EPIC_Slovenec on
How is it still not done. LOL
Nattekat on
There’s no way that they’ll not ban Israel. But who knows how much bribes are taken.
diazolin88 on
and dont forget to include Palestine terrorists.
Econ_Orc on
The idea of global or regional events like The Olympics and in this case Eurovision, was to unite and establish relations regardless of difference in politics, human rights, war, economic tradition, alliances, religion…..
This was a place contact could still happen even when there were trouble in the participant countries.
Excluding the undesired from events supposed to not be under political but cultural friendship exchange undermines the very purpose those events were created to accomplish.
Excluding Russia and maybe now Israel goes against the principle of the Eurovision. One only has to look at some of the previous Israeli singers to know they (them) are not representing the israeli government at all. Heck that government is trying to block the israeli contribution to the Oscar about a Palestinian boy travelling through israel without proper id. So clearly some media and artist go against the political leadership. By excluding the artist we are robbing them from delivering the protest that could influence a wider audience in Israel and elsewhere watching the event.
TTWBB_V2 on
I honestly never understood why Israel ever attended an European song contest in the first place 🤷🏻♂️
true_jester on
The largest public vote through fraud you failed to mention.
AnyInvestigator1317 on
People still watch this 🗑️?
Looks like the 10 people that still watch that 💩 are active on this sub and didn’t like my comment about their beloved political show🤣
No_Athlete_5908 on
I still wonder why Israel is on EUROvision…
Key_Ad4844 on
Ain’t in Europe in the first place , no more special treatment the world is waking up
Corando on
If Israel isnt kicked out, esc 2027 should be hosted in moscow and die sooner rather than later
Blumpkin_Mustache on
Iran should be completely excluded from every international competition. It’s insane how everyone is so obsessed with Israel but completely ignores Iran, Russia’s closest ally, who started the war in the first place by arming and funding every single one of the Islamic terrorist groups who attacked Israel two years ago.
Russia’s closest ally should be made a pariah on the world stage, just like Russia is.
Any-Original-6113 on
A possible solution would be for Palestine to participate as a full member, along with Israel.
Shupaul on
Spoiler : they won’t
I’m convinced something like 50% of Eurovision viewers are from Israel
doctor_morris on
Eurovision is geopolitics the musical, so this is completely on brand.
hibiskusftw on
Slovenia also announced it will not participate.
armstrong147 on
They should vote through song… and then have the other countries rate those votes… and they can televise it… and we all get to stay up late and watch
Pyriel on
Christ.
Voting on Eurovision is always based on backroom deals on politics, rather than singing.
They should have a sing-of on excluding them.
Mean_Wear_742 on
So we have a big 5 with Spain that want to withdraw if Israel isn’t excluded
And with Germany a Big 5 with is against excluding of Israel.
Messy situation.
paulmaer on
the thing is, the Russia comparison is just too much for EBU to remain credible. They cannot justify why Russia is expelled but Israel is welcome.
Thebigfreeman on
Maybe i go too far, but ban Israel, and any country that is not from Europe continent region. Actually include only EU countries or EU candidates 😀
Beave__ on
They aren’t European so they shouldn’t compete anyway. Same goes for Australia.
djseshlad on
Israeli News: “Europe is antisemitic and hates Jews”
Euro News: “Israel excluded for committing genocide”
GallorKaal on
They let each country vote:
23 countries voted to let them go, 378 thousand countries voted to keep them in… shit shouldn’t have done that via televoting
Blolbly on
They were already going to do this, they’ve just rescheduled the meeting
28 commenti
**The event’s organizer has called an extraordinary general meeting for November, with countries like Spain and Ireland saying they will not take part in the contest if Israel does.**
*For weeks, the world of the Eurovision Song Contest has convulsed with debate over whether Israel should take part in next year’s competition given the growing humanitarian crisis amid its military campaign in the Gaza Strip.*
*Broadcasters from countries including Spain, Ireland and the Netherlands have said in recent weeks that they will withdraw if Israel takes part.*
*Other countries including next year’s host nation, Austria, have pleaded with them not to take such drastic action.*
*Behind the scenes, Eurovision organizers have been buying time, hoping to conjure up a non-divisive solution.*
*Now, a decision is set to be made.*
*On Thursday, the board of the European Broadcasting Union, which organizes the high-camp event, said in an email that it would host an extraordinary general meeting in early November at which member broadcasters will vote on Israeli participation.*
*The event’s organizer has called an extraordinary general meeting for November, with countries like Spain and Ireland saying they will not take part in the contest if Israel does.*
*For weeks, the world of the Eurovision Song Contest has convulsed with debate over whether Israel should take part in next year’s competition given the growing humanitarian crisis amid its military campaign in the Gaza Strip.*
*Broadcasters from countries including Spain, Ireland and the Netherlands have said in recent weeks that they will withdraw if Israel takes part.*
*Other countries including next year’s host nation, Austria, have pleaded with them not to take such drastic action.*
*Behind the scenes, Eurovision organizers have been buying time, hoping to conjure up a non-divisive solution.*
*Now, a decision is set to be made.*
*On Thursday, the board of the European Broadcasting Union, which organizes the high-camp event, said in an email that it would host an extraordinary general meeting in early November at which member broadcasters will vote on Israeli participation.*
*A Eurovision spokesman gave no further details.*
*In a letter to members, Delphine Ernotte Cunci, the union’s president, said the organization had “never faced a divisive situation like this before.”*
*First held in 1956, Eurovision has long billed itself as an apolitical event that shows that nations can put aside political differences for one evening and unite in song. But in the two years since the war in Gaza broke out after the October 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, the presence of Israel at Eurovision has often overshadowed the event.*
*Singers have demanded Israel’s exclusion, and demonstrators have staged protests. Eurovision fans also criticized the 2024 song submitted by Israel’s broadcaster as being veiled commentary on the war in Gaza. The contest’s organizers said that the lyrics had to be changed.*
*At this year’s final in Basel, Switzerland, Israel came second after its act, Yuval Raphael, a survivor of the Hamas attack, secured the largest public vote. It was only in the show’s final moments that Austria’s contestant leaped ahead.*
*Shortly after the event, some countries complained that Israel’s government had tried to manipulate the vote, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and official Israeli social media accounts urging voting, and the Israeli Government Advertising Agency, which operates under the prime minister’s office, buying YouTube ads to encourage voting.*
*In July, the European Broadcasting Union’s members discussed Israeli participation at a meeting, but made no decision. Instead, the organization commissioned an expert to collect members’ views for discussion at its general assembly in December.*
*Yet in recent weeks, pressure to act has grown. On Sept. 11, RTÉ, Ireland’s national broadcaster, said in a statement that it would “not take part in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest if the participation of Israel goes ahead.”*
*Ireland has won Eurovision seven times and, along with Sweden, is the competition’s most successful nation.*
*“RTÉ feels that Ireland’s participation would be unconscionable given the ongoing and appalling loss of lives in Gaza,” the statement said, adding that the broadcaster was also “deeply concerned by the targeted killing of journalists in Gaza, and the denial of access to international journalists to the territory, and the plight of the remaining hostages.”*
*Around the same time, the Dutch national broadcaster also said it would withdraw if Israel took part, as did RTVE in Spain.*
*José Pablo López, the president of RTVE, told the broadcaster in an interview that it was inaccurate for Eurovision’s organizers to ever argue that the event was apolitical. “We are all aware that the contest carries significant political implications,” he said. “The Israeli government is equally aware of this fact and leverages the event on the international stage.”*
*“We consider it essential to speak out against what is happening in Gaza and to take a visible, meaningful stand,” he said.*
*KAN, Israel’s public broadcaster, said that the country should be allowed to take part.*
*“The potential disqualification of Israel’s public broadcaster KAN — one of the contest’s longstanding, popular and successful participants — would be especially troubling ahead of the 70th edition of the song contest, which was founded as a symbol of unity, solidarity and fellowship,” a KAN spokesman said in a statement. “Any such move could have wide-ranging implications for the competition and the values for which the E.B.U. stands.”*
*Lawmakers are now weighing in, too. This month, Beate Meinl-Reisinger, Austria’s foreign minister, wrote to colleagues in six nations weighing a boycott, asking them to reconsider.*
*“I firmly believe that the Eurovision Song Contest in particular — and the arts in general — are not the appropriate arenas for sanctions,” she said. “Excluding Israel from the Eurovision Song Contest or boycotting the event would neither ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza nor contribute to finding a sustainable political solution.”*
[deleted]
How is it still not done. LOL
There’s no way that they’ll not ban Israel. But who knows how much bribes are taken.
and dont forget to include Palestine terrorists.
The idea of global or regional events like The Olympics and in this case Eurovision, was to unite and establish relations regardless of difference in politics, human rights, war, economic tradition, alliances, religion…..
This was a place contact could still happen even when there were trouble in the participant countries.
Excluding the undesired from events supposed to not be under political but cultural friendship exchange undermines the very purpose those events were created to accomplish.
Excluding Russia and maybe now Israel goes against the principle of the Eurovision. One only has to look at some of the previous Israeli singers to know they (them) are not representing the israeli government at all. Heck that government is trying to block the israeli contribution to the Oscar about a Palestinian boy travelling through israel without proper id. So clearly some media and artist go against the political leadership. By excluding the artist we are robbing them from delivering the protest that could influence a wider audience in Israel and elsewhere watching the event.
I honestly never understood why Israel ever attended an European song contest in the first place 🤷🏻♂️
The largest public vote through fraud you failed to mention.
People still watch this 🗑️?
Looks like the 10 people that still watch that 💩 are active on this sub and didn’t like my comment about their beloved political show🤣
I still wonder why Israel is on EUROvision…
Ain’t in Europe in the first place , no more special treatment the world is waking up
If Israel isnt kicked out, esc 2027 should be hosted in moscow and die sooner rather than later
Iran should be completely excluded from every international competition. It’s insane how everyone is so obsessed with Israel but completely ignores Iran, Russia’s closest ally, who started the war in the first place by arming and funding every single one of the Islamic terrorist groups who attacked Israel two years ago.
Russia’s closest ally should be made a pariah on the world stage, just like Russia is.
A possible solution would be for Palestine to participate as a full member, along with Israel.
Spoiler : they won’t
I’m convinced something like 50% of Eurovision viewers are from Israel
Eurovision is geopolitics the musical, so this is completely on brand.
Slovenia also announced it will not participate.
They should vote through song… and then have the other countries rate those votes… and they can televise it… and we all get to stay up late and watch
Christ.
Voting on Eurovision is always based on backroom deals on politics, rather than singing.
They should have a sing-of on excluding them.
So we have a big 5 with Spain that want to withdraw if Israel isn’t excluded
And with Germany a Big 5 with is against excluding of Israel.
Messy situation.
the thing is, the Russia comparison is just too much for EBU to remain credible. They cannot justify why Russia is expelled but Israel is welcome.
Maybe i go too far, but ban Israel, and any country that is not from Europe continent region. Actually include only EU countries or EU candidates 😀
They aren’t European so they shouldn’t compete anyway. Same goes for Australia.
Israeli News: “Europe is antisemitic and hates Jews”
Euro News: “Israel excluded for committing genocide”
They let each country vote:
23 countries voted to let them go, 378 thousand countries voted to keep them in… shit shouldn’t have done that via televoting
They were already going to do this, they’ve just rescheduled the meeting
Eurodivision…
DEMOCRACY BABY!