Eurovision Cliffhanger: Will Israel Belt Out Ballads or Get the Silent Treatment After Gaza Deal Drama?
Added on October 14, 2025 inMusic News Cards
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Is Mercury in retrograde—or is it just Eurovision? As I watched the stars (and my caffeine intake) this morning, it struck me that the planets aren’t the only ones spinning. Cue the latest plot twist: in the wake of a hard-won ceasefire and the headlines buzzing over Gaza’s peace plan, the Eurovision Song Contest’s future just got even more dramatic. ESC organizers, apparently channeling their inner Geminis, decided to hit “pause” on voting about whether Israel gets to join next year’s musical battle royale. With broadcasters from Ireland and Spain chanting “boycott” like a chorus stuck on repeat, and Germany plus Austria singing quite another tune, the ESC scene is basically a cosmic mashup of politics and pop hooks.
But here’s the million-Euro (or maybe just major-minor) question: can music really unite when everything else feels so divided? Today’s astrological weather screams for open-hearted conversation—but honestly, is there ever enough glitter to cover all this real-life drama? If you think Eurovision always brings the fireworks, 2026 is sizing up to be a supernova. Spoiler: the story isn’t even close to over. For the full backstage scoop, emotional reunions, and what might shake down in Vienna next May, LEARN MORE.
In the wake of the Gaza peace plan, organizers of the pan-national singing competition, the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC), said Tuesday they will postpone a vote on whether Israel can take part in next year’s event.
ESC members, the European public broadcasters that air the wildly popular annual singing competition, were set to hold an emergency meeting next month to vote on whether to ban Israel from competing next year. Broadcasters from several member states, including Ireland and Spain, had called for the Israeli boycott in protest of the actions of the Israeli military in Gaza. Broadcasters in other member states, including Germany and Austria, oppose a ban.
But events on the ground in Gaza are changing fast. The Trump-backed peace plan has gone into effect, with a ceasefire currently holding and Monday seeing the first stage of the prisoner exchange, with the remaining 20 living Israeli hostages, and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, emotionally reunited with their families. In light of those developments, Eurovision said Tuesday, the board will not vote on the Israeli boycott next month but will discuss the issue in “an open and in-person discussion” at its regular winter general assembly on December 4. Organizers said further details about the general assembly session on participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 will be shared with EBU Members in the coming weeks.
The extraordinary vote in November was to decide whether Kan, the Israeli public broadcaster and member of the EBU, could participate in the Eurovision 2026. An “absolute majority” of EBU members would have been required to implement the ban. Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Spain have threatened not to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest unless Israel is excluded from the competition. Other nations, including Germany and Austria, have opposed the ban. In the U.K., national broadcaster the BBC has declined to pick a side.
Eurovision is the Olympics of pop music. The granddaddy of TV singing competitions first aired in 1956, and its combination of American Idol-style live performance and regional political rivalries — each act competes under their respective national flag, with voters in other countries deciding their fate — has proven extraordinarily popular. The ESC broadcasts are typically the most-watched non-sporting event on European TV every year.
Israel has taken part in Eurovision since 1973, and Israeli singers have won the competition four times, most recently in 2018, when Netta took the top prize for her song “Toy.”
The Eurovision Song Contest 2026 will take place in May in Vienna, Austria.
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