The Eurovision Song Contest is facing the most serious disruption in its 70-year history after Spain, the Netherlands and Ireland confirmed they will boycott the 2026 competition in protest at Israel being allowed to take part.
Their decision follows a meeting of almost 50 members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) in Geneva, where broadcasters voted to adopt new rules on voting procedures but declined to hold a ballot on Israel’s eligibility.
Slovenia has also withdrawn, and Belgium has said it will decide its position in the coming days.
However, other countries made clear they would have withdrawn if Israel had been removed. Both Germany and next year’s host broadcaster in Austria had previously warned that the contest risked losing essential support if Israel was banned.
The departing nations argue that Israel should have been excluded due to its military campaign against Hamas in Gaza. Their stance aligns with a wider political movement calling for cultural and economic boycotts of Israel.
Speaking to this paper, an Israeli source said the anti-Israel rhetoric and boycott had been driven, in their view, by “leftists and pro-Palestinian groups” that describe Israel’s military campaign against Hamas in Gaza as genocide. Israel rejects that accusation and says there is no evidence the Israeli government has ever stated any intention to destroy or expel the Palestinian population. The source said Hamas’s founding charter, by contrast, “contains language calling for the elimination of Israel and has historically endorsed attacks on Jewish civilians”.
Protests and public pressure marked the 2024 contest in Malmö, and this year’s edition in Basel saw Israel’s representative rehearse under audible boos from parts of the audience. However, the public vote across participating countries strongly favoured Israel, pushing its entrant to the top of the leaderboard.
In this year’s final in May Israel placed second overall with a total of 357 points. Of those 357 points, 297 came from the public televote, meaning Israel won the public vote.
Israel has never been barred from Eurovision, and the only country ever expelled from the competition is Russia, following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The latest dispute follows months of tension surrounding Israel’s role in the contest. Allegations that the Israeli government encouraged overseas citizens to vote for its 2024 entrant prompted the EBU to introduce new measures designed to prevent organised voting campaigns. It is understood that approval of these rules was tied to a provision that no further vote on Israel’s participation would be held.
Martin Green, director of the Eurovision Song Contest, said members had conducted a “full and honest” debate before taking a decision aimed at keeping the competition “free from political theatre”. Israel’s president Isaac Herzog welcomed the outcome, describing it as a gesture of “solidarity, brotherhood and co-operation”.
However, Spain’s broadcaster RTVE said its concerns about transparency had grown after its request for a secret ballot was denied. Ireland’s RTÉ said participation was “unconscionable” given the humanitarian situation in Gaza. The Netherlands’ Avrotros and Slovenia’s RTV each stated that the new rules did not address their ethical concerns.
Their withdrawal carries both financial and symbolic consequences. Spain is one of the contest’s “Big Five” contributors, whose broadcaster helps to fund Eurovision and whose artist automatically qualifies for the final. Ireland, historically one of the most successful nations in the competition, has also confirmed it will neither compete nor broadcast the event.
Other broadcasters, including those in Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Iceland, expressed support for the strengthened voting rules, though Iceland has yet to confirm its final position for 2026. Germany welcomed the decision to keep Israel in the contest and said it looked forward to participating in Vienna next May.
The dispute comes amid a wider debate about the role of politics in Eurovision. While the contest promotes itself under the slogan “United by Music”, tensions around Israel’s participation have been rising since the Hamas attacks of October 2023 and the subsequent war in Gaza.
With several long-standing participants now absent and others reconsidering their involvement, the EBU faces a significant challenge in preparing for the 2026 contest. Discussions are expected to continue in the months ahead as broadcasters assess the impact of the boycott and the likely shape of next year’s event.
Despite the walkouts, the EBU has reiterated that any member willing to comply with the contest’s rules is eligible to take part. The organisation said it remained committed to delivering a competition that prioritises cultural exchange and musical performance above political disagreements.
