Israel cleared to stay in Eurovision; Spain, Ireland and others boycott

Israel on Thursday was cleared to enter the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest, prompting Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland and Slovenia to follow through on their threats to withdraw from the competition over the war in Gaza.

After a meeting in Geneva, contest organiser the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) decided not to call a vote on Israel’s involvement and said it had instead passed rules aimed at discouraging governments from influencing the contest.

Right after that announcement, the Dutch, Spanish and Irish broadcasters said they would withdraw from the competition, to be held in Vienna, Austria in May, meaning singers from their countries will not compete in the contest, which draws millions of viewers worldwide.

Irish broadcaster RTE said it felt “Ireland’s participation remains unconscionable given the appalling loss of lives in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there which continues to put the lives of so many civilians at risk”.

Natalija Gorscak, head of Slovenia’s national broadcaster RTV Slovenija, told Reuters her country had also withdrawn.

The broadcasters who had threatened to boycott the event cited the death count in Gaza and accused Israel of flouting rules meant to guard the contest’s neutrality.

The EBU said members backed new rules intended to discourage governments and third parties from disproportionately promoting songs to sway voters after allegations that Israel unfairly boosted its entrant this year.