Three countries withdrew from the Eurovision Song Contest on Thursday after organizers chose not to vote on Israel’s future participation, allowing it to participate in next year’s event.
Spain, Ireland and the Netherlands announced their boycott of Eurovision, the largest live music competition in the world, due to the decision. Iceland, Belgium and Finland have also said they are considering joining the boycott due to the situation in Gaza.
Sweden warned that it might withdraw, but then changed its mind. Swedish public broadcaster SVT said it supports the new rule changes and recognizes that Austria, next year’s host nation, takes safety concerns seriously. “Therefore, SVT will participate in Eurovision next year,” he noted.
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Widespread opposition to the war in Gaza has led to growing calls for Israel to be excluded from the annual competition. There were also suspicions that the voting system was manipulated in favor of Israel at last year’s event. But the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) said after a meeting in Geneva that there was “clear support” among members for the reforms implemented to “strengthen confidence and protect neutrality”.
“A large majority of members agreed that a new vote on participation was not necessary and that the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 should go ahead as planned, with the additional guarantees in place,” a statement said.
Moments after the EBU statement was published, public broadcasters in Spain, Ireland and the Netherlands (which supported Israel’s exclusion) said their countries would not participate next year.
Unthinkable. Alfonso Morales, Secretary General of RTVE, said: “The situation in Gaza, despite the ceasefire and approval of the peace process, and Israel’s use of the competition for political purposes, makes it increasingly difficult to maintain Eurovision as a neutral cultural event.”
Irish agency RTE said that its participation in the festival was “unthinkable, given the massive loss of life in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there, which continues to put the lives of many civilians at risk.”
For its part, the Dutch public radio and television network Afrotros noted that the Dutch presence at next year’s event “cannot be reconciled with the public values that are fundamental to our organization.”
Joy in Israel. Israeli President Isaac Herzog welcomed the European Union’s decision and said that his country “deserves to be represented at all stages of the world.”
Foreign Minister Gideon Saar also welcomed the news in a letter to
In the run-up to the meeting, which was held behind closed doors and under tight security in Geneva, EBU members appeared divided on the issue, although Israel received support mainly from Germany. “Israel is part of Eurovision just as Germany is part of Europe,” German Culture Minister Wolfram Weimar told Bild newspaper.
German broadcaster SWR and Austrian broadcaster ORF, host of the upcoming competition, praised Thursday’s decision to accept Israel.