Eurovision Faces Calls to Ban Israel After Protests

Following Israel's second-place finish at Eurovision 2025, Austria's winner JJ publicly called for Israel's exclusion from the 2026 contest due to the ongoing war in Gaza, but later clarified his remarks, condemning all violence against civilians. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) reiterated its stance on keeping Eurovision non-political and allowing all qualifying countries to participate. Israel's high public vote but low jury scores led to widespread protests and demands for an audit of the televoting system from several European broadcasters and politicians. Calls for Israel's exclusion have grown, with political leaders in Spain and Ireland drawing parallels to Russia's ban after its invasion of Ukraine and raising questions about the contest's consistency. The controversy has intensified debates over transparency in Eurovision's voting process and the challenge of maintaining the contest's apolitical status during international conflicts.