The British newspaper The Telegraph, in today’s (12/9) article, refers—on the occasion of the announcement by Ireland’s public broadcaster—to the two camps forming within the EBU, for and against Israel’s participation in Eurovision 2026.
The countries opposing Israel’s participation are already known, since they have taken a public stance, either stating that they will not take part in the upcoming contest if the EBU allows Israel to compete, or reserving their decision for now, saying they will announce whether or not they will participate only after the EBU General Assembly on December 4 and 5 in Geneva.
The Netherlands, Ireland, and Slovenia have already made it clear that they will not participate in Eurovision 2026 if Israel does, while Spain, Iceland, and Belgium are waiting for the outcome of the EBU General Assembly in December before confirming their participation, also leaving open the possibility of withdrawing from the contest.
In today’s edition, The Telegraph also presents the countries that support Israel’s participation in the upcoming contest.
Special mention is made of Germany and Italy, both members of the BIG5 and among the contest’s biggest financial contributors. Also supporting Israel’s participation are this year’s and next year’s hosts, Switzerland and Austria.
In the event of a vote at the General Assembly, the countries also expected to support Israel, according to The Telegraph, are Greece, Cyprus, and Azerbaijan.
It should be noted that, according to the EBU statutes, if the matter does go to a vote at the General Assembly, at least three-quarters of the members must take part, and of those, three-quarters must vote in favor of expelling Israel.
Developments are expected to unfold continuously until December. Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun.
Source: The Telegraph