UPDATE, 01.11am P.T., December 5: The BBC is among those to thrown its weight behind the decision to allow Israel to compete in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest, but Europe’s pubcasters remain deeply divided over the issue.
A “large majority” European Broadcasting Union (EBU) members yesterday effectively approved of Israel’s participation in a silent ballot, according to the organization, which oversees the competition. They voted to accept new measures and safeguards set out last month, and to reject a further vote on participation.
“We support the collective decision made by members of the EBU,” said a BBC spokesperson. “This is about enforcing the rules of the EBU and being inclusive.”
Germany is also among the major European nations in favor of inclusion, and had actually warned it would boycott if Israel were not allowed to compete.
However, four countries – the Netherlands, Spain, Ireland and Slovenia – have said they will boycott, citing concerns over Israel’s actions in Gaza during its war with Hamas. They had also accused the Israeli government of ignoring rules around neutrality and helping to inflate Israel’s vote last year.
Jose Pablo Lopez, the boss of Spanish state broadcaster RTVE wrote on X: “What happened in the EBU Assembly confirms that Eurovision is not a song contest but a festival dominated by geopolitical interests.”
Icelandic public broadcaster RUV is still to make a decision whether to participate. Eurovision will be held in Vienna next May, with the winner, JJ, having come from Austria this year.
PREVIOUSLY, 9.50am P.T., December 4: The row over Israel’s participation in the Eurovision Song Contest has deepened with Israel now officially allowed to compete, and some nations already boycotting.
The Netherlands, Spain, Ireland and Slovenia have swiftly said they will not take part next year after a meeting of participating broadcasters said Israel would be let in.
Dutch broadcaster Avrotros said that “participation under the current circumstances is incompatible with the public values that are essential to us.”
Spanish broadcaster RTVE added: “The board of directors of RTVE agreed last September that Spain would withdraw from Eurovision if Israel was part of it. This withdrawal also means that RTVE will not broadcast the Eurovision 2026 final… nor the preliminary semi-finals.”
Ireland and Slovenia was also reported to be boycotting by BBC News, with Irish broadcaster RTÉ calling participation “unconscionable.”
RTVE had led calls for Israel’s dismissal and BBC News reported that the Spanish broadcaster requested a secret ballot on Israel’s participation.
Due to the Israel-Hamas War, Spain, the Netherlands and Ireland, along with Slovenia and Iceland, had threatened boycotts. Slovenia and Iceland are now expected to withdraw from the competition.
The European Broadcasting Union had been under pressure to act. Last week, it tightened its rules around voting and promotion ahead of the key meeting, but didn’t signal what would happen to Israel’s participation. These are the
Speaking to Deadline several months back about Eurovision’s global expansion, director Martin Green said Eurovision is “not immune to what’s going on in the world, and neither should we be,” before adding: “But I do think there is a place, particularly in sport and entertainment, for major events that seek, momentarily, to sit to one side. There has to be a space where we can come together and just enjoy ourselves, but also, more seriously, to paint a picture of a world as it could be, rather than as it is.”
Russia has been banned from the contest since the start of the war in Ukraine.