The decision by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to allow Israel to participate in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest has triggered a wave of withdrawals from several countries. Broadcasters from RTVE (Spain), AVROTROS (Netherlands), RTÉ (Ireland), and RTVSLO (Slovenia) announced they would boycott the contest in protest.
These broadcasters cited the ongoing war in Gaza and what they described as a humanitarian crisis and a violation of the contest’s spirit of neutrality.
Despite these withdrawals, EBU maintained its position: although the decision generated political backlash, the contest will proceed. Organizers also introduced new rules aimed at curbing outside influence on performances and voting.
This boycott represents one of the biggest crises in Eurovision’s history, raising fundamental questions about the ability of a music contest to remain apolitical in a volatile geopolitical climate.