The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has decided to postpone a vote on whether Israel should take part in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, citing ongoing peace negotiations in the Middle East. The decision was made by the EBU’s Executive Board on Monday, according to Der Standard.
The vote, initially scheduled for November, will no longer take place before the organisation’s regular General Assembly in December, where members will instead hold “an open and personal discussion” about Israel’s participation, the EBU said in a statement.
“In light of recent developments in the Middle East, the Executive Board of the EBU has recognised a clear need for an open and personal discussion among its members regarding participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026,” the union said. “Therefore, the Board decided to include this topic on the agenda of the ordinary Winter General Assembly in December rather than convening an extraordinary meeting beforehand.”
According to Der Standard, political pressure in Austria has intensified in recent weeks, particularly from the ruling People’s Party (ÖVP), which has urged the cancellation of the contest in Vienna should a majority of EBU members vote against Israel’s inclusion.
Austria’s public broadcaster ORF, however, is contractually bound to host the 2026 contest after its victory at Eurovision 2025 in Basel, achieved by JJ. Sources within ORF told Der Standard that the broadcaster would still be responsible for funding the event, estimated at around 40 million euros, even if another member organisation were to take over hosting duties.
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