Eurovision chiefs face thorny question of whether Israel should...

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

62% : Austria, which is set to host after Viennese singer JJ won in May with "Wasted Love," supports Israel's participation.
55% : FILE - Israeli fans cheer for Yuval Raphael, from Israel, after she performed during the semi-final of the 69th Eurovision Song Contest in Basel, Switzerland, May 15, 2025.
51% : The war in Gaza has been its biggest challenge, with pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrating against Israel outside the last two Eurovision contests in Basel, Switzerland, in May and Malmo, Sweden, in 2024.
50% : Organizers of the Eurovision Song Contest, the feel-good pop music gala that draws more than 100 million viewers every year, are meeting Thursday to tackle a bitter and divisive issue: Whether Israel should be allowed to participate in the 2026 competition.
46% : Opponents of Israel's participation criticize the conduct of the war in Gaza, which has left more than 70,000 people dead, according to the territory's Health Ministry, which operates under the Hamas-run government and whose detailed records are viewed as generally reliable by the international community. Israel´s government has repeatedly defended its campaign as a response to the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas-led militants that started the war.
46% : The controversy over Israel's 2026 participation threatens to overshadow the return next year of three countries - Bulgaria, Moldova and Romania - after periods of absence due to financial and artistic reasons.
42% : Germany, too, is said to back Israel.
42% : Regardless of what happens - whether Israel is in or out, whether countries stay or go - it´s not what Eurovision should be.
41% : " The least likely scenario, he said, would be for Israel to decide unilaterally sit out: The country's national broadcaster, Kan, has made no such announcement.
38% : Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain are among the countries that have threatened to sit out the contest if Israel is allowed to take part.
37% : Eurovision expert Dean Vuletic said a boycott by any EU member country would be significant because they are "not dictatorships" and are meant, like Israel, to share values of democracy, human rights and diversity.
36% : The European Broadcasting Union, a group of public broadcasters from 56 countries that runs the competition, is holding a general assembly, with some countries calling for Israel to be excluded over alleged interference in contest voting and its conduct of the war against the militant Hamas group in Gaza.
35% : Israel also has faced allegations of interference in the voting process in Eurovision.

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