Spain threatens the boycott of Eurovision next year if Israel will participate. The event is scheduled in Vienna, with semifinals on May 12 and 14, 2026 and the final on May 16.
Photo: Wikipedia
In Spain, the subject of Eurovision 2026 reached the governmental level, the Minister of Culture, Ernest Urtasun, declaring in an interview with his country that his country could withdraw from the competition.
“I do not think we can normalize the participation of Israel in international events as if nothing would happen. He is not an individual artist who participates, but someone who participates in the name of the citizens of that country.” the decision was justified.
The official also reminded the position of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who had requested since 2024 the exclusion of the Israel of Eurovision, comparing the situation with the sanctions applied to Russia after the invasion of Ukraine.
On Tuesday, the members of the Board of Directors of the Public Television RTVE voted, by majority, in favor of boycotting the competition if Israel will be among the participating countries, writes The Guardian.
Thus, Spain becomes the first of the “five big” contributing countries to Eurovision – the others being France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom – which takes such a measure in response to Israel’s offensive.
The decision was made on the same day that a UN investigation commission concluded that Israel committed genocide in Gaza.
There have already been similar decisions related to Eurovision from Slovenia, Ireland and the Netherlands.
“The Eurovision contest was founded in 1956 to bring people together after a period of deep divisions and war. Since its establishment, the music has been at the center of the contest as a unifying force, having as fundamental values peace, equality and respect,” is shown in the statement of the Dutch public post Avrotros, who emphasizes that “It can no longer justify the participation of Israel in the current situation, given the continuous and severe human suffering.”
