A political storm surrounds Eurovision as four public broadcasters drop out of the 2026 contest over Israel’s participation.
Public broadcasters from Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain, and Slovenia announced on Thursday that they would not take part in next year’s Eurovision Song Contest after organizers confirmed Israel would compete, turning a global music celebration into a debate over the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
The withdrawals followed a meeting of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which unites 56 public broadcasters and runs Eurovision. While concerns about Israel’s participation were raised, the EBU chose to tighten voting rules amid accusations that Israeli contestants benefited from biased scoring, but the union did not bar any broadcaster from competing.
Eurovision has long billed itself as a feel-good pop event drawing over 100 million viewers annually. Yet the ongoing Gaza conflict has spilled into the arena, prompting protests outside venues and causing organizers to clamp down on political gestures.
Eurovision expert Dean Vuletic described the moment as historic, predicting it will become the most significant political boycott the contest has ever seen. He foresaw tense weeks as more countries weigh joining protests that could overshadow Eurovision’s 70th anniversary in Vienna next May.
Iceland’s broadcaster RUV reported that its leaders would meet soon to decide on Iceland’s participation, noting that Iceland’s board had previously recommended barring Israel from the event in Vienna.
The EBU confirmed that four member broadcasters—RTVE (Spain), AVROTROS (Netherlands), RTÉ (Ireland), and RTVSLO (Slovenia)—had publicly indicated they would abstain. A final participating list is expected by Christmas.
Israel’s President Isaac Herzog welcomed Israel’s continued involvement on X, expressing hope that Eurovision would remain a platform for culture, friendship, and cross-border understanding, while thanking supporters who upheld Israel’s right to compete.
Austria, the host nation slated to welcome the 2025 winner JJ with “Wasted Love,” and Germany joined several other countries in backing Israel’s participation, according to Vuletic.
Yet AVROTROS stated that Israel’s involvement no longer aligns with the responsibilities of a public broadcaster. RTVE cited Gaza’s ongoing crisis and what it described as Israel’s use of Eurovision for political purposes as reasons the contest’s neutrality is increasingly difficult to maintain. RTÉ underscored that Ireland’s participation is incongruent with the humanitarian toll in Gaza.
Some broadcasters highlighted the war’s impact on press freedom and journalism access in Gaza, noting journalists’ killings and Israel’s restrictions on international media access to the region. Israel’s KAN argued that EBU members risk harming freedom of expression by participating.
KAN publicly stated that its involvement was not tied to any prohibited campaign influencing the contest’s results, including in Basel last May where Israel’s Yuval Raphael finished second.
The Eurovision stage has long sat at the crossroads of music and politics. It expelled Russia in 2022 after its invasion of Ukraine and has faced ongoing protests during the Gaza conflict, including demonstrations outside recent contests in Basel and Malmö.
Critics of Israel’s participation point to Gaza’s death toll, reported at over 70,000 by Gaza’s Health Ministry under Hamas governance, while Israel portrays its campaign as a response to Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023 attack that killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostage.
Various experts, including some commissioned by a United Nations body, have described Israel’s Gaza campaign as genocide—a claim Israel rejects. The possible boycott could affect viewership and revenue amid broadcasters’ financial pressures, funding cuts, and competition from social media.
Even with the controversy, Eurovision’s impact remains significant. Spain, a major contributor, and Ireland, tied for the most wins with Sweden, are among those weighing the decision to participate.
The dispute also threatens to overshadow the return of Bulgaria, Moldova, and Romania next year, who are rejoining after absences for financial or artistic reasons.
As Vuletic put it, the 2026 edition may become one of the most politicized in Eurovision’s history—a 70th anniversary meant to be a celebration but likely to be enveloped in ongoing political debates.
