A number of European international locations have introduced that they won’t take part within the subsequent Eurovision Music Contest if Israel, which has taken half within the annual competitors for half a century, is allowed to proceed.
On Tuesday, Spain joined the Netherlands, Eire and Slovenia in denouncing Israel’s war on Gaza, which has killed practically 65,000 individuals since October 2023, with many 1000’s extra misplaced beneath the rubble and presumed useless, and introduced that they won’t participate if Israel continues to take action.
What’s Eurovision?
Eurovision is a global tune competitors which takes place yearly, primarily in European international locations, and is televised. It has been operating since 1956 and is likely one of the world’s longest-running and most-watched non-sporting TV occasions.
Every nation performs an unique tune and the winner is set by voting. The competition is organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), a collective of public broadcasters in additional than 35 international locations.
Any nation which has a broadcaster working inside Europe as a part of the EBU can take part in Eurovision. Australia joined in 2015, Armenia in 2006 and Azerbaijan in 2011.
The winner of every contest hosts the next yr competitors.
The following contest will happen in Could 2026 in Vienna.
Israel and Eurovision: a short historical past
Israel first took half in Eurovision in 1973 as a result of its nationwide broadcaster is a member of the EBU. Again then, Israel’s nationwide broadcaster was the Israel Broadcasting Authority; now it’s the Israeli Public Broadcasting Company, or Kan, and remains to be a part of the EBU.
Arabic-speaking international locations have solely taken half very not often: Morocco participated solely as soon as in 1980 – which was the one time an Arabic tune featured within the contest. Tunisia and Lebanon withdrew in 1977 and 2005 after refusing to air Israeli content material.
Israel’s participation in Eurovision has continuously met protests, however objections have intensified because the begin of its warfare on Gaza in October 2023, following the Hamas-led assault on southern Israel.
For the 2024 competitors, which was held in Malmo, Sweden, the EBU rejected Israel’s entry for being too political. The entry was a tune referred to as October Rain, referencing the victims of the October 7 Hamas assault, throughout which 1,139 individuals had been killed.
Whereas initially reluctant, Kan changed Israel’s entry to a romantic ballad. Israel was ranked fifth within the competitors.
Israel additionally participated within the 2025 competition, which was held in Basel, Switzerland, ending in second place.
Which international locations are boycotting Eurovision over Israel?
To this point, 5 European international locations have mentioned they could not take part in Eurovision if Israel does.
Iceland
Iceland’s broadcaster RUV mentioned that it’s potential that Iceland would withdraw from Eurovision if Israel participates within the competitors, based on a information report printed by the RUV web site on September 9.
Eire
On September 11, Irish national broadcaster RTE issued a press release saying it will not take part in Eurovision in 2026 if Israel participates.
“RTE feels that Eire’s participation can be unconscionable given the continued and appalling lack of lives in Gaza,” the assertion mentioned.
Netherlands
On September 12, Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS, one of many public broadcasters that funds and organises Eurovision, introduced that it’ll not take part within the competitors in Vienna if Israel takes half.
It cited the “ongoing and extreme human struggling in Gaza” as the rationale.
The assertion added, “The broadcaster additionally expresses deep concern in regards to the severe erosion of press freedom: the deliberate exclusion of impartial worldwide reporting and the various casualties amongst journalists.”
Slovenia
Additionally on September 12, Slovenian broadcaster RTV Slovenia introduced that it’ll additionally not take part in Eurovision if Israel takes half within the competitors.
Spain
On Tuesday this week, Spanish state broadcaster RTVE’s board voted to withdraw from Eurovision if Israel participates.
Spain is the primary nation amongst Eurovision’s “massive 5” to make such an announcement. The large 5, which additionally consists of the UK, Germany, Italy and France, are international locations that routinely qualify for Eurovision’s last spherical no matter how they carry out in earlier rounds.
This announcement got here a day after Spain’s Tradition Minister Ernest Urtasun informed the native tv programme, La Hora de La 1, that the nation would take into account “measures” if Israel was “not expelled”. Urtasun added that Spain had already formally requested Israel’s exclusion from Eurovision.
How has Eurovision responded?
Eurovision usually stresses political neutrality.
Martin Inexperienced, director of Eurovision, launched a press release saying the organisation is “nonetheless consulting” with its companions on find out how to take care of “participation and geopolitical tensions across the Eurovision Music Contest”.
Inexperienced mentioned, “We perceive the issues and deeply held views across the ongoing battle within the Center East. It’s as much as every member to resolve in the event that they wish to participate within the contest, and we’d respect any determination broadcasters make.”
Will this divide Eurovision?
Specialists say that whereas it’s tough to find out whether or not the boycott will divide Eurovision, it might hold consciousness in regards to the warfare in Gaza sturdy as Eurovision is televised all through Europe and past.
Christina Oberg, a professor on the Division of Advertising and Tourism Research on the Linnaeus College in Sweden, informed Al Jazeera that the unique ambition of Eurovision was to foster collaboration and peace in Europe after World Battle II.
In an article she printed in June 2025 in regards to the politicisation of Eurovision, Oberg mentioned that Eurovision had managed for many years to uphold its “inclusive European imaginative and prescient” regardless of ongoing regional tensions till the primary “actual shift” was seen when the EBU banned Russia following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
It acknowledged on the time, “The Eurovision Music Contest is a non-political cultural occasion. The EBU is nevertheless involved about present occasions in Ukraine and can proceed to intently monitor the scenario.”
“Because of this ESC – or extra rightfully EBU made itself a political participant,” Oberg mentioned. “Then, primarily based on the Gaza warfare, questions come up why IBU doesn’t act the identical. I don’t wish to say what is true or mistaken right here, however there are points within the inconsistency.”
She added that there’ll most likely might be peer strain on different international locations to problem statements much like these issued by Spain and different European international locations lately.
“I don’t see this as a divide, extra as country-level selections, moderately than as some international locations being for or in opposition to.”
She added that whereas the international locations’ bulletins to withdraw from the competitors are principally symbolic, they do carry consideration to the problem.
“We should always not downplay how [Eurovision] is given numerous area in media – therefore the boycotting brings consideration to inquiries to the broader public.”
