Eurovision 2026: EBU decision to admit Israel triggers growing boycott by participating countries
On Thursday, Spain’s public broadcaster RTVE announced that it would be boycotting next year’s Eurovision Song Contest, following confirmation by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) that Israel would be permitted to participate. Ireland’s RTÉ and Slovenia’s RTVSLO have now joined the boycott, following a similar announcement by the Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS. Belgium’s RTBF is expected to communicate its position later this week.
Around five countries, including major financial contributor Spain, as well as the Netherlands, Slovenia and Ireland, had already warned that they would withdraw if Israel remained in the competition. Iceland had also announced a potential boycott, but said that it would decide on participation at a later stage.
RTVE president José Pablo López claimed that the EBU is now "influenced by political and commercial interests". He said that keeping Israel in the contest “further undermines” RTVE’s confidence in the EBU’s management of the event.
Targeted killings of journalists
RTÉ in Ireland, which has also decided not to broadcast the contest, said its decision was taken "in light of the horrific loss of life in Gaza and the ongoing humanitarian crisis threatening so many civilians". RTÉ added that it is "deeply concerned by the targeted killings of journalists in Gaza and by the continued refusal of the Israeli authorities to grant international journalists access to the area".
VRT, the Flemish broadcaster which will not be participating next year as Belgium will be represented by RTBF, said that its future involvement in Eurovision "depends on how the EBU addresses these concerns in the years ahead". VRT will still broadcast the contest. RTBF has said that it will set out its position in the coming days.
Israel’s participation has long been contentious. Following the last contest in Basel, where Israel came close to winning, calls for its exclusion intensified amid the heavy civilian death toll in Gaza. In late November, to ease tensions, the EBU announced that the televoting rules would be tightened: viewers will now be able to cast a maximum of ten votes instead of twenty, and jury votes will count again in the semi-finals, having been excluded for the past three editions.
Israel’s participation was ultimately confirmed in a secret ballot among EBU member broadcasters on Thursday.
© APAPICTUREDESK
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