Iceland, Slovenia, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Spain have all threatened to withdraw from the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest if Israel is allowed to compete.
The five nations’ television broadcasters, which are responsible for choosing the artist and song to represent their respective countries, have cited the violence in Gaza as the reason behind their decisions.
Eurovision 2026 is set to take place in Vienna, Austria.
Five countries threaten to withdraw within a week
The director of Icelandic TV channel RÚV, Stefán Eiríksson, told radio station Rás 2 on September 9: “We have serious doubts about the conduct of both the Israeli public broadcaster and the Israeli government when it comes to Eurovision.”
A day later, Slovenian broadcaster RTVSLO announced that it would not participate in the competition if Israel is allowed to compete, “due to the genocide in Gaza”.
Irish broadcaster RTÉ expressed a similar stance the following day.
“RTÉ feels that Ireland’s participation would be unconscionable given the ongoing and appalling loss of lives in Gaza. RTÉ is also deeply concerned by the targeted killing of journalists in Gaza, and the denial of access to international journalists to the territory, and the plight of the remaining hostages,” RTE said.
Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS declared just one day later: “AVROTROS can no longer justify Israel’s participation in the current situation, given the ongoing and severe human suffering in Gaza.”
Spain on Tuesday became the fifth country to express its intention to withdraw in the case that Israel participates.
José Pablo López, president of Spanish national broadcaster RTVE, said: “While Israel has regularly participated in the competition, the current events and the genocide currently taking place make it impossible for us to look the other way.”
Spain is the first “big five” country to announce its potential withdrawal.
The “big five” — Britain, Germany, Italy, France, and Spain — are the Eurovision competitors which contribute the most money to the event, with their participants automatically qualifying for the finals.
Israel’s response
A spokesperson for Israeli television channel Kan 11 told EU Reports: “Israel has been participating in the Eurovision Song Contest for over 50 years. Since the establishment of the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation, Kan, Israel has been one of the most successful participants in the Eurovision Song Contest.
“Over the past seven years, the artists and songs submitted by Kan have reached fifth place, third place, second place, and even first place. There is no reason why Israel should not continue to play a meaningful role in this major cultural event, which must remain a celebration of music and creativity, and not become politicized,” they noted.
“Looking ahead, Kan is preparing to select Israel’s representative for the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 in Austria.”
The history of Eurovision
Eurovision first took place in 1956.
It is a widely popular annual televised music competition which last year racked up 166 million television views and almost 2 billion digital views.
Each country is represented by one artist and song, selected by a broadcaster belonging to the respective nation.
The event is overseen by public service media alliance European Broadcasting Union (EBU), and is hosted by the previous year’s winner.
The competition is renowned for its theatrical performances, extravagant costumes, and dramatic dress changes.
Despite the competition’s name, non-European countries such as Israel and Australia are also allowed to compete.
The results of the first round are decided by a public televote, which allows viewers from around the world to vote for their favourite artist by text or phone call.
Artists who receive enough votes proceed to the second round, or the Grand Final.
In this final round, the winners are determined through a combination of a professional jury, votes from representatives of other countries, and a public televote.
Featured image:
Image: Israeli Eurovision 2025 contestant Yuval Raphael wins second place
Credit: Yuval Raphael via Instagram
