Israel pressured to drop out of 2026 Eurovision – report

A vote on barring Israel from the song contest over the war in Gaza is set for December.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

People connected to the Eurovision Song Contest have unofficially asked Israeli representatives to pull out from the 2026 event, Ynet Global reported Sunday.

The private request was framed as a one-year-only withdrawal to save Jerusalem from a “humiliating disqualification” at a December vote on Israel’s participation, according to Ynet’s sources.

Other proposals included having Israeli singers perform under a neutral flag, such as that of Kan, Israel’s public broadcaster, or for Kan to release a statement dissociating itself from government policies and military actions.

Government officials are unlikely to acquiesce to any of the proposals, Ynet noted.

“A one-year suspension is seen in Jerusalem as a potential precedent that could lead to a permanent exclusion,” the report said, and “performing without the national flag is also considered unacceptable.”

Ynet added that it was “extremely unlikely” Kan would make the kind of statement European officials were seeking, citing sources close to the broadcaster.

The quiet approaches come as more countries announce that they will boycott if Israel is allowed to compete, citing anger over the suffering of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza war.

Five countries — Iceland, Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands and Slovenia — have publicly confirmed plans to boycott.

There was also an isolated report that Germany had threatened to pull out.

After Israel placed second in this year’s contest, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called for its future ban, arguing that if Russia was barred since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, allowing Israel to compete smacks of “double standards.”

He did not note that, unlike Russia, Israel had not instigated hostilities, only declaring war on the Hamas terrorist organization after it led an invasion from Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, and massacred 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals, the vast majority of them civilians.

Officially, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) stated that it “has not made any proposals to Kan regarding participation in next year’s Eurovision Song Contest. The consultation with the wider EBU membership is ongoing and no decisions will be made until the process concludes.”

The EBU did, however, make it easier for countries to withdraw by extending the penalty-free deadline from October to mid-December, after the crucial meeting.

For its part, next year’s host, Austria, made clear Sunday that it wants Israel to attend.

Although its public broadcaster’s vote was not unanimous, a majority backed telling the EBU it “welcomes the participation of the Israeli EBU member in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026.”

Austria has been one of Israel’s stronger supporters in the EU during the war, which will reach the two-year mark next month.