Geneva, Switzerland – The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has announced that Israel will be allowed to participate in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest.
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This decision sparked a wave of widespread objections, prompting four European countries
to announce their immediate boycott of the major art event.
The decision by the federation, taken during its general assembly meetings in Geneva,
This is despite growing calls in recent months to exclude Israel because of
its ongoing aggression against Gaza, and suspicions raised
about possible manipulation of the voting system.
Protest withdrawal and boycott wave
In a swift and direct response, the official broadcasting bodies in Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands
and Slovenia rushed to announce their withdrawal from the 2026 edition,
which will be hosted by the Austrian capital, Vienna.
The Spanish broadcaster RTVE, which had been leading the opposition
to Israel’s participation, announced its decision to withdraw following the secret ballot.
The Dutch broadcaster explained that Israel’s participation “is not in line with its core values.”
The Irish broadcaster confirmed that the boycott decision came “
in light of the heavy loss of life in Gaza and the ongoing humanitarian crisis.”
For its part, Slovenia, through its Director General, Natasha Jursak,
announced that it “will absolutely not participate” in the upcoming competition.
The union defends the decision and transparency.
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) said in a statement that its members
“endorsed a series of targeted changes to the competition rules”
to “enhance trust, transparency and impartiality of the event.”
He noted that these steps make all willing members eligible to participate without exception.
The union confirmed that “a large majority of members” saw no need
for an additional vote on Israel’s participation.
The competition will take place as planned next year.
This follows previous amendments announced in November,
which the union claimed were aimed at enhancing its ability
to “detect and prevent any fraudulent voting activity”.
This comes against the backdrop of the controversy sparked
by the large public support for Israeli contestants in previous years.
Israeli welcome and accusations of shame
In contrast, Israel welcomed the vote and attacked the positions of the boycotting countries.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog wrote on the X platform that he was
“pleased that Israel is participating again in Eurovision.”
He expressed his hope that the competition would remain “a defender of culture and music”.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar praised the decision,
saying that the countries that boycotted were “shameful”.
Expectations that other countries will join the boycott
Forecasts indicate that other countries may join the boycott campaign,
with Iceland having previously threatened not to participate if Israel is allowed to return.
Broadcasting authorities in Belgium, Sweden and Finland also
announced that they are still considering their options.
This comes amid the view of many European broadcasting bodies
that the measures announced by the Union are still insufficient
to guarantee the integrity and impartiality of the event.
