VIENNA — Austria’s foreign minister has urged European nations not to boycott next year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, amid growing calls for Israel’s exclusion over the war in Gaza.
In a letter sent to her counterparts in countries threatening to withdraw, Beate Meinl-Reisinger appealed for unity, warning that politicizing the competition would damage its long tradition of fostering cultural ties.
Spain and Ireland were among the first to signal they may pull out unless Israel is barred, with the Netherlands and Belgium following suit. Austria, however, has taken a different line: Lower Austria’s conservative governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner has openly supported Israel’s participation, and now Meinl-Reisinger has gone further by lobbying other governments.
“The Eurovision has, for decades, built networks among artists, audiences and broadcasters, even in times of national and international crisis,” Meinl-Reisinger wrote in English, according to excerpts published in Austrian media. She said excluding Israel would only “deepen disunity” within the European Broadcasting Union and shut down dialogue “without improving the situation on the ground in Israel and Gaza.”
The foreign minister added she intends to raise the issue during the UN General Assembly next week in New York, signaling Austria’s determination to safeguard the contest as host nation.
The 2026 Eurovision, one of the world’s most-watched cultural events, is expected to draw tens of thousands of visitors to Vienna. The debate over Israel’s participation is already shaping up to be the event’s defining controversy.
