Eurovision has called off its vote on Israel's participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026.
The announcement came from the European Broadcasting Union just minutes after Donald Trump signed a peace deal between Israel and Hamas.
Palestinian terror group Hamas released the final surviving Israeli captives from Gaza, whilst Israel returned Palestinian prisoners as part of a newly implemented truce agreement.
The EBU confirmed the matter would instead be addressed during December's regular Winter General Assembly through face-to-face discussions amongst member states.
The organisation indicated that the shift followed "recent developments in the Middle East".
Although it stopped short of confirming whether a formal vote on Israeli broadcaster KAN's involvement would still proceed.
Austria's national broadcaster ORF, set to stage the 2026 competition in Vienna, had urged participating nations to avoid boycotting the event due to Israel's involvement.
The contest has encountered significant political tensions connected to the two-year Gaza conflict.
Eurovision has called off its vote on Israel's participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026
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Numerous countries have vowed to pull out should Israel compete.
Eurovision's organisers have consistently emphasised their commitment to political impartiality.
However, the competition has struggled with unprecedented divisions, prompting EBU President Delphine Ernotte Cunci to acknowledge in September correspondence that the executive board could not achieve consensus regarding KAN's involvement.
She said: "Given that the Union has never faced a divisive situation like this before, the Board agreed that this question merited a broader democratic basis for a decision."
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The announcement came from the European Broadcasting Union just minutes after Donald Trump signed a peace deal between Israel and Hamas
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The ceasefire arrangement, facilitated by US President Donald Trump, required Hamas to free all Israeli captives by noon on Monday, including twenty believed to be living and remains of up to 28 who had died.
In exchange, Israel was to free approximately 250 Palestinian inmates plus 1,700 Gazans detained during the conflict, whilst permitting greater humanitarian supplies into the territory.
The truce commenced Friday morning, marking the initial stage of a multi-phase agreement.
Subsequent stages remain subject to negotiation, with contentious issues including Gaza's future administration, the scope of Israeli military pullback, and Hamas's disarmament still unresolved.
The contest has encountered significant political tensions connected to the two-year Gaza conflict
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Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has travelled to Egypt on Monday for an international conference in Sharm el-Sheikh where the Gaza peace agreement was signed.
Sir Keir offered a tribute to President Trump following the signing ceremony.
The summit, co-hosted by Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, brought together representatives from over 20 nations.
Israel came second in the most recent Eurovision Song Contest in May, with its act Yuval Raphael receiving the largest combined public vote.