From the Liveblog of
Thursday, July 3, 2025
European broadcasters put off potential vote on Israeli participation in next year’s Eurovision
Amy Spiro is a reporter and writer with The Times of Israel
Members of the European Broadcasting Union met today in London to discuss Israel’s future participation in the Eurovision Song Contest, but declined to hold a vote on whether the Jewish state can compete in next year’s competition — seemingly pushing off any such decision until December.
A number of EBU member countries, including Iceland, Spain, Slovenia and Belgium, issued public calls before and after this year’s Eurovision to kick Israel out of the competition due to its actions during the war in Gaza. Many also called into question Israeli singer Yuval Raphael’s landslide win in the popular vote earlier this year with her song “New Day Will Rise,” saying it highlighted the need for voting reform.
In a statement, the EBU says that its members held a “constructive exchange of views” on the topic and agreed that it is an “unprecedentedly complex situation” with a “wide diversity of opinions.” The EBU says that rather than make any immediate decision, it has decided to appoint a former senior TV executive to “lead a structured and in-depth dialogue with our member broadcasters in the coming weeks.”
The unnamed executive will “gather insights on how we manage participation, geopolitical tensions, and how other organizations have approached similar challenges,” the EBU says, noting that the point person will report back this fall, ahead of the next organization-wide meeting slated for December.
According to a report in the Ynet news site, the meeting was tense; Israel believes that if a vote were held today, it would not have gone in its favor. The media outlet reports that only Austria, Germany and Switzerland publicly backed Israel, though the UK called for not immediately holding any vote on the issue.
A spokesperson for Israel’s Kan public broadcaster declines to comment.
The Times of Israel Community.