December 9, 2025 | New York Sun
Anti-Israeli Countries’ Attempt To Ban Israel From Eurovision Song Contest Falls Flat — With Help From Germany, Austria
Outcome infuriates bloc of four European Broadcasting Union states — Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Slovenia — that condemn Israel over Gaza war.
December 9, 2025 | New York Sun
Anti-Israeli Countries’ Attempt To Ban Israel From Eurovision Song Contest Falls Flat — With Help From Germany, Austria
Outcome infuriates bloc of four European Broadcasting Union states — Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Slovenia — that condemn Israel over Gaza war.
Excerpt
The campaign to banish the Jewish state from the worlds of sport and culture is playing out on its latest stage: the Eurovision song contest. Organizers of the wildly popular musical competition rejected a call to banish Israel last Thursday. That outcome marked a rare moment of frustration for advocates of excluding Israel, suggesting that the much-needed pushback against them may have arrived, thanks to the stances of key European states.
Eurovision organizers decided to change the contest’s regulations after Israel dominated last year’s general public vote. Consequently, the European Broadcasting Union Assembly, which brings together representatives from member states and organizations, held a vote to determine if those changes were sufficient, or if further action — possibly including kicking Israel out of the competition — was necessary. Yet fewer than a quarter of voting members supported even holding a vote to exclude Israel.
Mr. May is a senior research analyst and research manager at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington, D.C.-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.