Israel returning to compete in Eurovision 2026 has led five European countries to withdraw from the competition.
Iceland was the last to withdraw, shortly after Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain’s similar announcements this winter.
“Given the public debate in this country and the reactions to the decision of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) that was taken [allowing Israel to participate] it is clear that neither joy nor peace will prevail regarding the participation of Iceland in Eurovision. It is therefore the conclusion of RUV [Ríkisútvarpið, meaning “National Broadcasting,”] that we will not take part in Eurovision next year,” Icelandic public broadcaster RUV said in a statement.
“This whole thing is just awful. They need to grow up and look at the Israeli Gaza issue with a different perspective, or at least put their biases aside for a non-political event,” said sophomore Jordana Lorrimer.
These boycotts follow the European Broadcasting Union (EBU)’s decision not to vote on removing Israel from Eurovision 2025. This sparked controversy on social media due to the public’s criticism of the Israel-Hamas war.
“I don’t think it’s fair because Israel’s participation is such a polarizing and critical topic in Eurovision so there should be a vote to settle the debate,” said sophomore Logan Gladstone.
RTVE, the Spanish broadcaster, withdrew from Eurovision. RTVE’s president, José Pablo López said, “We have maintained the same position for months, which is that Israel’s presence is untenable…we are talking about a genocide in Gaza, and that Eurovision is a competition, but human rights are not a competition.”
He continued, “Israel has broken the rules and has not been sanctioned for at least the last two years. Any other country that had engaged in this practice would have been sanctioned.”
Sophomore Noah Cytrynbaum said, “I think that if you believe a country is committing the genocide, the crime of crimes, then it’s valid to boycott it, but the fact is that Israel is not committing genocide.”
A country has never left Eurovision to boycott another’s involvement, but this is not the first instance of anti-Israel actions in the competition.
During the 2019 competition, Iceland’s representative techno-punk band Hatari —“hater” in Icelandic — raised Palestinian flags when broadcasters were announcing their results. This was not taken positively by the crowd and broadcasts quickly cut to the announcers.
In accordance with Eurovision’s code of conduct, the EBU placed a fine on Iceland, yet still allowed Hatari to participate throughout the rest of the competition.
“The ESC is a joyful, non-political event dedicated to celebrating music and culture. You are required to respect this mission by refraining from political promotion or related conduct, including actions, statements or symbols during – or in relation to – the event,” says the EBU on the Eurovision official website.
Israel debuted in Eurovision during the 1973 contest in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg. Israel was the first country outside of Europe to engage in Eurovision and led to the involvement of Australia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Morocco and Cyprus.
Israel blew the competition away, placing fourth in their first competition with Ilanit’s song “Ey Sham.” This also happened to be “the best debut for a country for the next 20 years,” according to The Center for Israel Education.
Shortly after their debut, Israel won the 1978 and 1979 events. With their 1978 win, Israel hosted the 1979 game in Jerusalem and won.
Israel also won in 2018 with NETTA’s song “Toy,” a pop hit that went viral globally.
“I loved the song and what it represented,” said sophomore Noa Rejwan. “I hope Israel can produce another hit to show everyone that we won’t back down to hate.”
