Israel will be able to participate, if it wishes, in the 2026 edition of the Eurovision contest, which will take place in Vienna, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) announced on Thursday at the end of a meeting organized in Geneva.
The decision was immediately followed by announcements regarding the boycott of next year’s contest by TV broadcasters in Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland and Slovenia, international press agencies inform.
The decision was taken on the first day of the discussions held on the occasion of the EBU General Assembly in Geneva, following a secret vote, writes Agerpres.
“The members of the EBU (…) have supported a series of specific changes to the rules” of the famous televised contest, with the aim of “strengthening the trust, transparency and neutrality of the event”, making “eligible” all members who wish to participate in the contest and who accept “to comply with the new rules”, indicated the organization in a statement.
“A large majority of members agreed that there is no need to proceed to a new vote on Israel’s participation” and that the 2026 edition “must go ahead as scheduled”added the EBU representatives.
Immediately after this announcement, television stations in Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland and Slovenia announced that they would not participate in the Eurovision contest in 2026.
“RTVE announced the withdrawal of Spain from the Eurovision contest following the votes held today at the 95th General Assembly of the EBU in Geneva, which ended with the retention of Israel in the contest”indicated in a statement the public television channel from Spain, the country that was at the forefront of the opposition to Israel’s participation in the famous televised music contest.
Dutch TV station Avrotros thought that “Israel’s participation is not compatible with its fundamental public values.”
In Dublin, the Irish public broadcasting group RTE explained that it had taken this decision “given the appalling human losses in the Gaza Strip and the humanitarian crisis that continues to endanger the lives of so many civilians.”
“Our message is this: we will not participate in Eurovision if Israel is present. On behalf of the 20,000 children who died in Gaza”said Natalija Gorscak, president of the board of directors of the Slovenian Public Radio and Television, RTV Slovenia.
Other boycotts could be announced in the next few hours. Iceland has also threatened in recent months not to send representatives to the competition in Vienna in May 2026 if Israel is allowed to participate. Belgium, Sweden and Finland have also indicated that they are considering this possibility.
Instead, Israel, through the voice of its president Isaac Herzog, welcomed the announcement made by the EBU on Thursday, considering that “it deserves to be represented on all the stages of the world”.
