Eurovision 2026 Faces Growing Boycott as European Broadcasters Protest Israel’s Participation

The European Broadcasting Union is facing one of the most serious crises in the modern history of the Eurovision Song Contest after broadcasters from Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Slovenia announced a boycott of the 2026 competition in protest against the decision to allow Israel to participate. The coordinated withdrawal represents a rare, overt challenge to the EBU and signals the growing fracture between national broadcasters and contest leadership over the ongoing war in Gaza.

Photo: commons.wikimedia.org by Vugarİbadov, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Eurovision 2012BAKU

A Contest Divided by War and Principle

The boycott was triggered by the General Assembly’s approval of Israel’s entry for the 70th anniversary edition of the contest. Broadcasters in Iceland and Belgium are reportedly considering similar action, though they have not yet issued definitive statements. Should they join, Eurovision 2026 would open with the highest number of politically motivated withdrawals since the contest’s earliest decades.

In its response, EBU President Delfina Ernotte Cunci said the decision to admit Israel reflects a commitment to “transparency and trust,” adding that Eurovision must remain a platform for unity and cultural exchange. But among many European broadcasters, public opinion pressures have grown too strong to ignore.

Israel’s Participation Within the Context of the Gaza War

The controversy follows two years of escalating criticism of Israel’s role in the contest. Israel’s military campaign in Gaza began in October 2023 after Hamas militants attacked the Nova music festival. Since then, the humanitarian situation has deteriorated sharply. According to Gaza’s health authorities, more than 70,000 people have been killed, with extensive damage to residential areas, alongside destroyed hospitals, schools, and civilian infrastructure.

Many European audiences and broadcasters argue that allowing Israel to participate while Gaza remains under bombardment is incompatible with the contest’s message. The sentiment mirrors reactions at Eurovision 2025, where Israel was represented by singer Yuval Raphael, a survivor of the Nova attack. Her performance was met with whistles and visible protests, including a Palestinian flag that appeared in the arena during the final.

Growing Demands for Israel’s Exclusion

The winner of Eurovision 2025, Austrian performer Johannes Pitch (JJ), publicly urged the EBU to bar Israel from the following year’s competition. In a statement, he expressed “deep disappointment” with Israel’s participation and called for a contest in Vienna “without representatives of that country.”

Tensions had already been rising after the 2024 incident involving Dutch contestant Joost Klein (stage name Joost), who was disqualified following a backstage complaint from a member of the production team. Rumors circulated that he had clashed with the Israeli delegation earlier in the event, including his public criticism during a press conference in which he questioned why the Israeli performer, Eden Golan, was shielded from answering politically sensitive questions.

Political Leaders Enter the Debate

In Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez added his voice to the growing chorus of criticism, arguing that Israel’s representative should not have been allowed to participate and accusing organizers of double standards. He contrasted Israel’s acceptance into the competition with the exclusion of Russia following the start of its military operation in Ukraine in 2022.

"Organizers removed Russia for launching a full-scale war, yet Israel continues to participate despite the devastation in Gaza."

Russia has not taken part in Eurovision since 2022, after then-executive supervisor Martin Österdahl declared that excluding Russian entrants was consistent with “Western values of solidarity, mutual support, and unity through music.”

A Crisis Ahead of the 70th Anniversary Contest

As of now, 31 countries have confirmed their participation in Eurovision 2026, but the EBU has announced that all broadcasters will be asked to reaffirm their involvement in the coming weeks. The final lineup is expected before December 25, when Catholic Christmas is celebrated and the contest’s milestone year officially begins.

For Eurovision, a show that has long prided itself on staying above geopolitics, the boycott represents a moment of reckoning. The contest has weathered political storms before, but seldom with such direct pressure from within its own membership. Whether more nations join the walkout will determine not only the scale of the 2026 competition but also the credibility of the EBU’s claim that the event remains a neutral stage for cultural exchange.