Usually known more for pop anthems and extravagant costumes than for political disagreements, the Eurovision Song Contest is facing a major boycott after a push to eject Israel from the contest was rejected.
National broadcasters from Spain, Ireland, Slovenia and the Netherlands all said they would not take part in the 2026 contest, citing Israel’s continued participation in the contest amid the war in Gaza.
In public statements on Thursday, Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS cited the “humanitarian suffering in Gaza” and alleged “political interference” in the contest, while Ireland’s RTÉ said its continued participation was “unconscionable given the appalling loss of lives in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there.”
Alfonso Morales, secretary-general of Spanish broadcaster RTVE, said “the situation in Gaza, despite the ceasefire and the approval of the peace process, and Israel’s use of the contest for political purposes, make it increasingly difficult to maintain Eurovision as a neutral cultural event.”
RTV Slovenia reaffirmed it “will not take part in the competition” if Israel does so, adding: “We remain guided by the values of peace, respect, and equality among nations.”
A push to ban Israel from the contest came to a head at a meeting of broadcasters on Thursday, but no vote was ultimately held on doing so. Austria, the host of next year’s contest, supported Israel’s continued participation.
Israeli broadcaster KAN said in a statement to NBC News that it had engaged in discussions “to prevent Israel’s disqualification from the competition,” with support from Israel’s President Isaac Herzog.
In a post on X, Herzog thanked “friends who stood up for Israel's right to continue to contribute and compete at Eurovision,” adding: “This decision demonstrates solidarity, fellowship, and cooperation, and reinforces the spirit of affinity between nations through culture and music.”
Germany, one of the contest’s biggest funders, had threatened to withdraw if Israel was excluded. Its participating broadcaster SWR expressed "deep regret" at the boycott but said a vote on excluding Israel was “not required” as it welcomed other changes to the contest’s rules. Britain’s state broadcaster, the BBC, said it supported the “collective decision made” on rule changes.
The annual song contest, which marks its 70th anniversary next year, is entered by artists representing countries across Europe and beyond.
Israel has competed since 1973 and is eligible to take part because its broadcaster KAN is a member of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).
But Israeli participation has come under pressure since the war in Gaza began two years ago, with an apparent surge in public support for Israel’s entries as well as protests and calls for a boycott.
Israel’s 2025 entrant, Yuval Raphael, placed first in the public televote during the contest in May, but was ranked significantly lower by the expert juries of music industry professionals who allocate half of the points on offer at the contest.
Last month, Eurovision organizers announced a series of rule changes intended to address fears that the contest’s public vote could be manipulated, as well as restrictions “to curb disproportionate third-party influence, including government-backed campaigns” in support of artists.
The EBU’s own independent news service, citing Google advertising transparency data, reported in May that advertisements from the Israeli government ran across Europe encouraging supporters to “vote up to 20 times” for Raphael.
Raphael is a survivor of the Nova music festival massacre on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led fighters launched a multipronged assault on Israel, killing 1,200 people and abducting about 250.
The rule changes announced last month reduce the maximum number of votes per payment method from 20 to 10, with expanded safeguards to “detect and prevent fraudulent or coordinated voting activity.”
Martin Green, director of the Eurovision Song Contest, said the contest would also “strengthen enforcement of our existing rules to prevent any misuse of the Contest for example through song lyrics or staging.”
In its statement, KAN denied it was “involved in any prohibited campaign intended to influence the results of the latest contest.”
The EBU said in a statement that a “large majority of Members” had agreed with its proposed changes Thursday after “a wide-ranging discussion where Members expressed a variety of views on participation in the Eurovision Song Contest.”
Broadcasters “will now be asked to confirm their participation,” it said amid speculation that more countries could withdraw, with a final list of participants expected before Christmas.
Russia was previously ejected from the contest in 2022 due to the war in Ukraine. It revived a rival Soviet-era contest, Intervision, earlier this year, which featured entrants from around the globe, including India, China and Saudi Arabia.
