Eurovision: Slovenia says Gaza ceasefire not a reason to agree to ‘Israel’s’ participation

The recent ceasefire in Gaza is not a reason to "immediately agree to Israel participating in Eurovision," according to Natalija Gorščak, the president of the board of RTV Slovenia, the country's national public broadcasting organization.

Gorščak's comments follow a decision by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to cancel a special vote on ‘Israel's’ participation, in light of Hamas and ‘Israel’ agreeing to the first phase of Donald Trump’s peace deal.

"It would have made more sense for the EBU to exclude Israel this year and avoid all the possible political problems that would follow from that, but we'll see - it's definitely up to them to decide how and what," Gorščak told TV Slovenia.

Canceled Vote and Future Plans

The EBU's decision to cancel the special vote was reportedly due to "developments in the Middle East," referring to the recent peace plan and ceasefire between ‘Israel’ and Hamas.

The vote would have allowed ‘Israel’ to perform in Vienna next year if a majority of participants had voted in favor.

The issue of ‘Israel's’ cooperation will now be placed on the agenda for the EBU's regular meeting in December.

The Austrian national broadcaster ORF, which will host the 2026 contest, has welcomed the EBU's decision.

Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker had previously announced that the country would not host the contest if ‘Israel’ was not present.

Boycott Concerns Among European Nations

The host country has again called on nations not to boycott the event due to ‘Israel's’ participation.

So far, in addition to Slovenia, Ireland, the Netherlands, Iceland, Spain, and Belgium have all reportedly voiced support for a boycott or expressed concerns about the issue.