Four countries drop out Israel may take part in Eurovision Song Contest 2026
Since the beginning of the Gaza war, the conflict has overshadowed the Song Contest. The Broadcasting Union's decision to allow Israel to take part in 2026 reveals deep rifts within the ESC community.
05.12.2025, 05:02
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- In Geneva, the members of the European Broadcasting Union have agreed that Israel will be allowed to take part in the Eurovision Song Contest after all.
- At this year's contest in Basel, the Israeli candidate came second thanks to the public vote.
- Spain, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Ireland have now declared their withdrawal.
Austria, as host of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026, is looking forward to Israel's participation and shows little understanding for boycott announcements from several European countries. The decision of the Broadcasting Union to allow Israel to participate in 2026 reveals deep rifts within the ESC community.
Vienna's mayor Michael Ludwig said he was generally "skeptical about boycotting artists - especially when it concerns their origin." Austria's public broadcaster ORF, which is organizing the ESC in Vienna on 16 May, was also critical. At the same time, the decision in favor of Israel's participation reveals a deep division between the member broadcasters of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).
Due to Israel's actions in the Gaza war, some broadcasters had called for the country to be excluded from the ESC. Germany, among others, opposed this. On Thursday, the member broadcasters of the EBU in Geneva did not vote directly on Israel's participation, but on a change to the voting and advertising rules for the Song Contest. However, according to the EBU, the amendment, which was accepted by a majority, means that all countries that so wish can take part in the music competition. This means that nothing stands in the way of Israel's participation in the next ESC.
The broadcasters from Spain, Ireland, Slovenia and the Netherlands then announced that they would boycott the event. Belgium, Iceland, Sweden and Finland are also considering such a move. Like Germany, Great Britain, Italy and France, Spain is one of the five most important sponsors of the event. It is still uncertain what impact the boycott announcements will have on the competition. The number of countries taking part in the ESC varies every year.
Weimer: "Israel belongs to the ESC"
ORF director Roland Weissmann regretted the boycott. "I see the Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna as an opportunity to put what unites us before what divides us," he said, emphasizing that it is not countries that take part in the ESC, but artists. Mayor Ludwig stated that he expressly welcomed the decision for Israel's participation. "Israeli artists should and will always be able to perform in our country."
Minister of State for Culture Wolfram Weimer (non-party) also welcomed the EBU's decision: "Israel belongs to the ESC like Germany belongs to Europe," he told Bild. He therefore thinks it is good that Israel will remain part of the world's biggest singing competition in 2026. "ESC is an opportunity to spend a great evening with friends and celebrate the diversity of music."
In Israel, President Yitzhak Herzog expressly welcomed the decision. The Israeli broadcaster KAN announced that the attempt to exclude the Israeli contribution "can only be understood as a cultural boycott. A boycott may start today - with Israel - but no one knows where it will end and who else it could harm".
Criticism of EBU decision
In contrast, broadcasters from Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands and Slovenia voiced massive criticism. The president of the Spanish broadcaster RTVE, José Pablo López, said that the decision to allow Israel to participate confirmed that this was not a music competition, but a festival dominated by geopolitical interests. The Dutch broadcaster Avrotros stated that "participation under the current circumstances is incompatible with the public values that are essential to us".
The Irish broadcaster RTÉ stated that Ireland's participation in the ESC was "unacceptable given the appalling loss of life in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there". The Slovenian broadcaster RTV stated that as a public broadcaster, it was obliged to adhere to ethical principles.
SRG refers to "democratic principle"
SRG, on the other hand, did not take a position and pleaded for the political neutrality of the competition. It believes in the "peace-promoting, unifying and understanding-building effect of the ESC", it announced on Thursday evening.
SRG "adheres to the democratic principle that majority decisions must be accepted, which is why it supports the EBU General Assembly's decision on this issue."
New rules to ensure transparency and trust
According to the Broadcasting Union, the changes to the voting and advertising rules for the Song Contest are intended, among other things, to restrict government-related advertising campaigns for ESC participants. This was a reaction to the result of the ESC 2025 in Basel. There, the Israeli singer Yuval Raphael took second place thanks to an extremely high number of audience votes. Critics claimed that the public votes had been manipulated.
According to the EBU, the changes are intended to ensure "trust, transparency and neutrality" at the ESC. The motto of the 70th ESC final is "United by Music".
The Middle East conflict has overshadowed the ESC since the beginning of the Gaza War in 2023. Both at the competition in Malmö 2024 and in Basel 2025, there were demonstrations critical of Israel on the streets and occasional whistles and boos in the hall against the Israeli performances. The Gaza War was triggered by the massacre by the Islamist Hamas in Israel on 7 October 2023. A ceasefire between Israel and the terrorist organization has been in place for almost two months.
Countertenor JJ won in 2025
Following the victory of countertenor JJ with his song "Wasted Love" in Basel, Austria will take on the role of host in 2026. In 2025, around 170 million people watched the event on TV and more than two billion social media contacts were counted.
Since its beginnings in 1956, the Eurovision Song Contest has developed into one of the most expensive live events in Europe. In addition to the local organizers, the five largest ESC nations bear the lion's share of the costs. Their acts have been automatically seeded for the final every time for many years.
