Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands and Slovenia have announced that they will boycott the Eurovision Song Contest in protest against the participation of Israel . The announcement came immediately after the organizers decided to give the green light to Tel Aviv. The general assembly of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) had been convened because some countries had called for the exclusion of Israel for its conduct in the genocide in the Gaza Strip and for alleged interference in the voting of the competition and above all .
Members of the EBU, which organizes Eurovision, voted to adopt stricter <... This is why the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, in May, had criticized the “double standards”.
Spain's withdrawal was announced by the Board of Directors of Rtve, which in addition to not sending a representative to Vienna will not broadcast the final of the event on Spanish screens. “We would like to express our serious doubts about the participation of the Israeli broadcaster Kan in Eurovision 2026. The situation in Gaza, despite the ceasefire and the approval of the peace process, and Israel’s use of the contest for political purposes , make it increasingly difficult to maintain Eurovision as a neutral cultural event ,” said RTVE Secretary General Alfonso Morales. The Dutch broadcaster Avrotros announced the Netherlands’ decision to boycott Eurovision. “After weighing all perspectives, Avrotros has concluded that, under the current circumstances, participation cannot be reconciled with the public values that are core to our organisation,” the broadcaster said.
Ireland's decision, explained by public broadcaster RTE, is in line with this."Following the EBU Winter General Assembly held today in Geneva, where Israel's participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 was confirmed, RTE's position remains unchanged. RTE will not participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026, nor will it broadcast the competition," it said in a statement. “RTE considers Ireland’s participation to be unacceptable, given the appalling loss of life in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis that continues to put the lives of so many civilians at risk,” the statement continued. “RTE is deeply concerned by the targeted killing of journalists in Gaza during the conflict and the continued denial of access to international journalists.” Slovenia also joins the countries boycotting Eurovision, the Slovenian national broadcaster, RTV, making the announcement on its website.
