Star Metro - Eurovision faces withdrawals after Israel OK'd to compete

Widespread opposition to the war in Gaza had led to mounting calls for Israel to be excluded from the annual contest, and after suspicions about the manipulation of the voting system.

But the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) said after a meeting in Geneva that there had been "clear support" among members for reforms implemented to "reinforce trust and protect neutrality".

"A large majority of members agreed that there was no need for a further vote on participation and that the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 should proceed as planned, with the additional safeguards in place," a statement read.

Yet moments after the EBU statement public broadcasters in Spain, Ireland and the Netherlands -- who had all backed Israel's exclusion -- said their countries would not take part next year.

"The situation in Gaza, despite the ceasefire and the approval of the peace process, and the use of the contest for political goals by Israel, makes it increasingly difficult to keep Eurovision a neutral cultural event," said Alfonso Morales, the secretary general of Spain's RTVE.

Ireland's RTE said its participation would be "unconscionable given the appalling loss of lives in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there, which continues to put the lives of so many civilians at risk".

AVROTROS in the Netherlands said a Dutch presence at next year's event "cannot be reconciled with the public values that are fundamental to our organisation".

Iceland has previously threatened to withdraw, while others, including Belgium, Finland and Sweden, have also said they were considering a boycott over the situation in Gaza.

- Voting scrutiny -

Israel's President Isaac Herzog welcomed the EBU decision and said his country "deserves to be represented on every stage around the world".

In the run-up to the meeting, held behind closed doors and under tight security in Geneva, EBU members appeared divided on the issue, with Israel winning support notably from Germany.

While Eurovision is supposed to be above politics, Chancellor Friedrich Merz -- a strong Israel supporter -- suggested in October that he would back Germany's withdrawal if Israel were excluded.

Eurovision voting arrangements came under scrutiny after Israel's Yuval Raphael -- a survivor of Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack -- surged into second place after the public vote at the last edition this year.

Similar concerns about voter manipulation were raised the previous year when Israel's Eden Golan was catapulted into fifth place despite lacklustre scoring from national juries.

Eurovision entries are scored first by professional juries, then the public by phone, text or online, which often radically alters the leader board.

Countries cannot vote for their own entry, but AVROTROS accused Israel of "proven interference" at the last event this year by lobbying the public overseas to vote for it.

- 'Trust and transparency' -

The EBU had planned to convene member broadcasters in November for a vote on the issue.

But a few days after the October 10 announcement of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, the EBU postponed a decision until its ordinary general assembly on December 4 and 5.

Last month, in an apparent bid to avoid a contentious vote, the EBU announced that it had changed Eurovision voting rules to address members' concerns and to strengthen "trust and transparency".

Austria's public broadcaster ORF, next year's Eurovision host, has expressed hope that a consensus can be reached so that it can host "as many participants as possible".

Israel would not have been the first country excluded from Eurovision.

Russia was barred from taking part following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, while Belarus was excluded a year earlier after the contested re-election of President Alexander Lukashenko.

burs-apo/phz

O.Gauthier--SMC