Ireland, Spain, Slovenia and the Netherlands have announced they will boycott next year's Eurovision Song Contest after Israel was given the all-clear to compete in the 2026 event. The decision came despite calls from several participating broadcasters for Israel's exclusion over the war in Gaza.
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organises the contest, held no vote on Israel's participation at its general assembly on Thursday. Instead, participating broadcasters voted only to introduce new rules designed to stop governments and third parties from disproportionately promoting songs to influence voters. The EBU said a large majority of members agreed that no further vote on participation was needed.
In response, Ireland's national broadcaster RTÉ said it would not participate in the 2026 contest or broadcast it, describing Ireland's involvement as 'unconscionable' given the appalling loss of lives in Gaza. Spain's RTVE also said it would not broadcast the contest or the semi-finals in Vienna, citing 'distrust' in the decision-making process. The Dutch broadcaster Avrotros said participation could not be reconciled with its public values, while Slovenia's RTVSLO said taking part would conflict with its values of peace, equality and respect.
The BBC said it supported the collective decision made by EBU members and would broadcast next year's competition, while Germany's SWR confirmed its participation. Meanwhile, Spain's culture minister Ernest Urtasun backed the boycott, saying 'you can't whitewash Israel given the genocide in Gaza'.
The new rules were seen as an olive branch to broadcasters critical of Israel, but were deemed insufficient by the four boycotting nations. Sixty-five per cent of delegates voted in favour of the changes, while 23% voted against and 10% abstained. Nordic broadcasters from Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Iceland supported the decision, although Iceland's RÚV said it would consider its position at a board meeting next Wednesday. Israel's president, Isaac Herzog, welcomed the decision, saying Israel 'deserves to be represented on every stage around the world'.
