Strongly contested decision regarding Eurovision 2026. Israel will be able to participate, 4 countries immediately announced their boycott
Press conference on the occasion of an ORF update on the 70th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, which will take place between 12-16 May 2026. PHOTO: Isabelle Ouvrard / imago stock and people / Profimedia
Israel will be able to participate, if it wishes, in the 2026 edition of the Eurovision contest, which will take place in Vienna, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) announced on Thursday at the end of a meeting organized in Geneva.
The decision was immediately followed by announcements regarding the boycott of next year's competition by TV broadcasters in Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland and Slovenia, international press agencies write, according to Agerpres.
The decision was taken on the first day of discussions at the EBU General Assembly in Geneva, following a secret ballot.
“The members of the EBU (…) supported a series of specific changes to the regulations of the famous televised contest, with the aim of “strengthening the trust, transparency and neutrality of the event”, making “eligible” all members who wish to participate in the contest and who accept “to comply with the new rules”, the organization indicated in a statement.
“A large majority of members agreed that there is no need to proceed with a new vote on Israel's participation” and that the 2026 edition “must go ahead as scheduled,” EBU representatives added.
Other countries are also considering boycotting the 2026 edition
Immediately after this announcement, television stations in Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland and Slovenia announced that they would not participate in the Eurovision contest in 2026.
“RTVE has announced the withdrawal of Spain from the Eurovision contest following the votes held today at the 95th General Assembly of the EBU in Geneva, which ended with the maintenance of Israel in the contest,” indicated in a statement the public television station from Spain, the country that was at the forefront of the opposition to Israel's participation in the famous televised music contest.
Dutch TV station Avrotros considered that “Israel's participation is not compatible with its fundamental public values”.
In Dublin, Irish public broadcaster RTE explained that it had taken this decision 'in view of the appalling human loss in the Gaza Strip and the humanitarian crisis that continues to endanger the lives of so many civilians'.
“Our message is this: we will not participate in Eurovision if Israel is present. On behalf of the 20,000 children who died in Gaza,” said Natalija Gorscak, chairwoman of the board of the Slovenian public broadcaster RTV Slovenia.
More boycotts could be announced in the coming hours. Iceland has also threatened in recent months not to send representatives to the May 2026 contest in Vienna if Israel is allowed to participate.
Belgium, Sweden and Finland have also indicated that they are considering this possibility.
Instead, Israel, through the voice of its president Isaac Herzog, welcomed the announcement made by the EBU on Thursday, considering that it “deserves to be represented on all stages of the world”.
