Following allegations that Israel may have influenced the outcome of the 2025 public vote to favor its contestant, October 7 survivor Yuval Raphael, who secured the second spot in this year’s competition, questions have arisen about the integrity of the process.

This situation has sparked a debate over the underlying issues, the criticisms being leveled, and the reasons organizers insist this instance is unlike previous ones.

José Pablo López Sánchez, the head of Spain’s national broadcaster RTVE, criticized the decision by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), suggesting that Eurovision has shifted from being a mere song contest to one overshadowed by geopolitical interests and division.

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French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot said he was glad organisers did not “yield to pressure” from opposing countries.

Have Eurovision contestants criticised Israel’s involvement?

Austrian singer JJ, who won this year’s contest in Switzerland, was quoted by Spanish newspaper El País shortly afterwards as saying it was “disappointing” to see Israel’s continued involvement, and that he would like the 2026 edition to be held without Israel.

In May, more than 70 past Eurovision contestants released an open letter calling for the EBU to ban Israel from participating.

Why is Australia still competing in Eurovision?

“Our position remains that, as a public broadcaster, making a decision to be involved based on the inclusion or exclusion of any country would undermine SBS’s editorial independence and impartiality,” an SBS spokesperson said.

Demonstrators demanded SBS boycott the contest, with some arguing that Eurovision allowing Israel to compete despite its actions in Gaza was in opposition to the contest’s goal of neutrality.

Why was Russia banned from Eurovision?

In May that year, the EBU formally suspended its Russian members, indefinitely revoking their broadcasting and participation rights for future editions of Eurovision. Russia has not competed since.

Why is Israel allowed to compete?

In September, a landmark UN-affiliated commission of inquiry report said Israel had committed genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

In late 2023, South Africa launched a case alleging that Israel had committed and was committing genocide in Gaza in contravention of the Genocide Convention, which Israel rejected as “baseless” and argued it was acting in self-defence. The case is ongoing.

They noted that the organisations were placed under sanctions by the European Union and Swiss authorities.