Spain has become the latest country to confirm it will not take part in next year’s Eurovision Song Contest if Israel participates, with the head of its state broadcaster saying “the genocide currently taking place make[s] it impossible for us to look the other way”.
The majority decision by RTVE board members makes Spain the first of the “big five” Eurovision countries – the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain – that contribute the most money to the event to take such action in response to Israel’s offensive in Gaza. Similar decisions have already been made by Slovenia, Ireland and the Netherlands.
Explaining the decision, RTVE’s president, José Pablo López, said broadcasters that comprise the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which runs the contest, could no longer remain silent. “As joint organisers of the Eurovision Song Contest, we share a collective responsibility,” he said. “It is not accurate to claim that Eurovision is merely an apolitical music festival. We are all aware that the contest carries significant political implications.”
Israel denies it is committing genocide in Gaza. Its ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Daniel Meron, called the UN commission of inquiry report “scandalous” and “fake”. The EBU opened a consultation process in July with the 37 broadcasters who took part in Eurovision last year, and the deadline for participation decisions has been extended until December.
López said RTVE hoped its “visible, meaningful stand” would be heeded by other EBU members and that a decision on Israel’s participation would be reached soon. “Our hope is that a decision can be reached well before December, as the EBU must be aware of the serious damage being done to the Eurovision Song Contest, which will mark its 70th anniversary in 2026,” he said.
The next Eurovision Song Contest will take place in Vienna in May. Russia was banned from the contest after its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but Israel has continued to compete over the past two years despite growing international concerns over its actions in Gaza.
