Ireland becomes one of countries boycotting Eurovision Song Contest after Israel is allowed to participate

Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands and Slovenia will boycott the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest after Israel was allowed to compete.

The countries are among those calling for Israel to be excluded from the war in Gaza, accusing it of unfair voting practices.

Spanish broadcaster RTVE led calls for a secret vote on the issue at a conference in Geneva. Organizers allegedly rejected the request, a decision that “increased[our]distrust in the organization of the festival.”

Ireland’s RTÉ said it believed its involvement “remains unjustified given the shocking loss of life in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there that continues to put the lives of many civilians at risk.”

Spain is one of the “big five” countries in the Eurovision Song Contest, along with France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom.

Their artists can advance directly to the finals as their broadcasters make the largest financial contribution to the EBU.

Around 50 broadcasters, including the BBC, attended a meeting of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) on Thursday to discuss the future of the competition, which is watched by more than 150 million people each year.

After Israel was accused of unfairly boosting its contestant Yuval Raphael this year, they were asked to support new rules aimed at preventing governments and third parties from organizing voting campaigns for their actions.

BBC News understands the vote to accept the measures was linked to a clause under which member states agreed not to vote on Israel’s participation.

“This vote means that all EBU members who wish to participate in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest and agree to abide by the new rules are eligible to participate,” the EBU said.

Eurovision chairman Martin Green said he was “pleased” members had the opportunity to “debate” Israel’s place in the competition ahead of the vote.

“It was a comprehensive, frank, honest and quite moving debate, but as we saw from the powerful outcome, they really came together on the belief that Eurovision should not be used as a political arena and that it must retain some sense of neutrality.”

Israeli President Isaac Herzog praise this decision The country was allowed to compete, calling it “an admirable gesture of unity, brotherhood and cooperation that symbolizes victory over those who seek to silence Israel and spread hatred.”

He said he was “pleased that Israel is once again participating in the Eurovision Song Contest and I hope that this competition will continue to be a competition that sanctifies culture, poetry, friendship between peoples and cultural understanding across borders”.

He added that Israel “deserves representation on every stage in the world and I am fully and actively committed to that”.

Israel Broadcasting Corporation CEO KAN said the attempt to disqualify him “can only be understood as a cultural boycott.”

“The boycott could start today – with Israel – but no one knows where it will end or who it will hurt,” Goran Yokhpaz said.

“Is this what we really want this game to be remembered for on its 70th anniversary?”

The BBC, which broadcasts Eurovision in the UK, said in a statement: “We support the collective decision taken by EBU members. This is about enforcing the EBU’s rules and being inclusive.”

However, the decision exposed deep rifts in the Eurovision world.

Dutch broadcaster Avrotros said in a statement that “participation in the current circumstances is incompatible with our vital public values”.

Spanish broadcaster RTVE added: “The RTVE board agreed last September that Spain would withdraw from the Eurovision Song Contest if Israel joined.”

“This withdrawal also means that RTVE will not be broadcasting the 2026 Eurovision final… nor will it be broadcasting the preliminary semi-finals.”

Slovenian broadcaster RTV added that their position also “remains unchanged”.

“The recent rule changes do not change our view. As a public service broadcaster, RTV Slovenia is committed to upholding ethical principles and expects equal rules and standards to apply to all EBU members and all participating countries.”

The Belgian broadcaster said it would “make its position clear in the coming days”.

Those in favor of the changes include Nordic broadcasters from Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Iceland, who issued a joint statement saying they “support” the EBU’s decision to “address key flaws in the voting system”.

Nonetheless, RÚV Iceland said it would not make a final decision on whether to participate until next week.

Germany, which had threatened to withdraw from the competition if Israel was eliminated, also welcomed Thursday’s decision.

Its broadcaster ARD said it “looks forward to participating next year” and “views it as a celebration of cultural diversity and unity”.

It added: “At the same time, we deeply regret the decisions of individual EBU members to withdraw from ESC 2026 but, of course, respect the choices made by their respective broadcasters.”