The apparent postponement of a vote Eurovision Song Contest members on Israel's inclusion only highlights Europe's "irrelevance" within the Middle East peace process and instead focuses on a singing competition, it is claimed.

Daniel O'Dowd, spokesman for the Ireland Israel Alliance, was speaking after it was confirmed that a vote by member states in the singing competition has been called off.

It comes after a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas in Gaza saw 20 Israeli hostages and hundreds of Palestinians prisoners released earlier this week, after peace talks led by Donald Trump.

The EBU said "recent developments in the Middle East" had prompted it to cancel the virtual meeting to vote on the matter, which was scheduled to take place in November.

placeholder image — Israeli singer Yuval Raphael came second in the Eurovision Song Conest last year, thanks in part to strong support from the Irish public and jury. She is a survivor of the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas, having hidden under bodies at the Nova Music festival in Israel to survive.

It said Israel's participation would instead be discussed at an in-person meeting in December, though it did not make clear whether a vote would still take place.

In a statement, the EBU said: "In the light of recent developments in the Middle East, the EBU's executive board (meeting on October 13) agreed there was a clear need to organise an open and in-person discussion among its members on the issue of participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026."

"Consequently, the board agreed to put the issue on the agenda of its ordinary winter general assembly, which will be taking place in December, rather than organising an extraordinary session in advance."

Mr O'Dowd suggested that the continued focus on Israel by EBU members speaks to Europe's irrelevance.

"At a time when the US President and Middle East leaders have meeting to progress the terms of the peace proposal, it speaks to the impotency of Europe within this process that focus is instead on whether Israel is welcome or not in a singing competition.”

"Ultimately, this vote was a discriminatory proposal to exclude Jews from yet another cultural place, to muzzle the voice of the sole democracy in the Middle East.

“If Israel's Arab neighbours are more willing to break bread with the Jewish State than Europe, then what does that say about how far we have fallen?"

Mr O'Dowd added: "For some in the Palestinian activist class, the ceasefire wasn't enough. It will be only enough, when the Jewish State is ostracised and deconstructed - in favour of a Jihadist, Palestinian State."