Austria’s Chancellor Christian Stocker has come out strongly against calls to exclude Israel from the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest, which Austria is set to host in 2026.
In an interview with the German news agency dpa, published Sunday on Austria’s National Day, Stocker stated, “I would consider it a fatal mistake to exclude Israel.”
He added, “Based on our history alone, I would never be in favor of that,” referencing Austria’s shared responsibility for crimes committed during the Holocaust in World War II.
The Eurovision Song Contest has faced mounting pressure over Israel’s participation in the contest due to its military campaign in Gaza following the Hamas-led massacre on October 7, 2023.
Public broadcasters in several European countries – including Spain, Ireland, and the Netherlands – have threatened to withdraw from the competition if Israel is allowed to participate in the contest scheduled to take place in Vienna next May.
Organizers of Eurovision had planned to vote on Israel’s participation in November but cancelled the meeting after a US-brokered ceasefire was reached between Israel and Hamas. A decision is now expected in December.
In April, shortly before the 2025 Eurovision contest held in Basel, formal requests to ban Israel were submitted by several countries, including Iceland and Spain.
The calls grew after Israel’s entry, “New Day Will Rise” performed by Yuval Raphael, came in second behind the Austrian winner, though Israel only received 60 points from the juries. The remaining 297 points came from the public, which overwhelmingly favored Israel’s entry over any other country.
Those results led broadcasters from Spain, Iceland, Belgium, Finland, and Ireland, to either request audits of their national televoting results or question the current methodology.
The Austrian winner of this year’s contest, JJ, called for Israel to be suspended from Eurovision, though he later walked back those comments.