GENEVA — Public broadcasters in Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain and Slovenia on Thursday pulled out of next year's
Eurovision Song Contest after organizers decided to allow Israel to compete, putting political discord on center stage
over a usually joyful celebration of music.
The walkouts came after the general assembly of the European Broadcasting Union — a group of public broadcasters from 56
countries that runs the glitzy annual event — met to discuss concerns about Israel's participation, which some countries
oppose over its conduct of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
At the meeting, EBU members voted to adopt tougher contest voting rules in response to allegations that Israel
manipulated the vote in favor of their contestants, but took no action to exclude any broadcaster from the competition.
The feel-good pop music gala that draws more than 100 million viewers every year has been roiled by the war in Gaza for
the past two years, stirring protests outside the venues and forcing organizers to clamp down on political flag-waving.
"It's a historic moment for the European Broadcasting Union. This is certainly one of the most serious crises that the
organization has ever faced," said Eurovision expert Dean Vuletic. "Next year, we're going to see the biggest political
boycott of Eurovision ever."
Vuletic, author of "Postwar Europe and the Eurovision Song Contest," predicted "tense" weeks and months ahead as other
countries contemplate joining the walkout and protests set to overshadow the contest's 70th anniversary in Vienna next
A report on the website of Icelandic broadcaster RUV said its chiefs would meet next Wednesday to discuss whether
Iceland would take part: Its board last week recommended that Israel be barred from the event in the Austrian capital.
The broadcasting union said it was aware that four broadcasters — RTVE in Spain, AVROTROS in the Netherlands, RTÉ in
Ireland and Slovenia's RTVSLO — had publicly said they would not take part.
A final list of participating countries will be announced by Christmas, EBU said.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said on social platform X that he was "pleased" Israel will again take part, and hoped
"the competition will remain one that champions culture, music, friendship between nations and cross-border cultural
"Thank you to all our friends who stood up for Israel's right to continue to contribute and compete at Eurovision," he
Austria, which is set to host the competition after Viennese singer JJ won this year with "Wasted Love," supported
Israel's participation. Germany, too, supported Israel along with countries like Switzerland and Luxembourg, Vuletic
AVROTROS, the Dutch broadcaster, said the participation of Israel "is no longer compatible with the responsibility we
bear as a public broadcaster."
Spain's RTVE said the situation in Gaza — despite the recent ceasefire — and "Israel's use of the contest for political
purposes, make it increasingly difficult to maintain Eurovision as a neutral cultural event."
RTÉ said Ireland's participation "remains unconscionable given the appalling loss of lives in Gaza" and the humanitarian
Some broadcasters — which run their country's news programs and wanted Israel kept out — cited killings of journalists
in the conflict in Gaza and Israel's continued policy of denying international journalists access to the territory.
Israeli broadcaster KAN's chief executive Golan Yochpaz questioned whether EBU members are "willing to be part of a step
that harms freedom of creation and freedom of expression."
KAN officials said the Israeli broadcaster was not involved in any prohibited campaign intended to influence the results
of the latest song contest in Basel, Switzerland last May — when Israel's Yuval Raphael placed second.
The contest pits acts from dozens of nations against one another for Europe's musical crown. It strives to put pop
before politics, but has repeatedly been embroiled in world events. Russia was expelled in 2022 after its full-scale
The war in Gaza has been its biggest challenge, with pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrating against Israel outside the
last two Eurovision contests in Basel, Switzerland, in May and Malmo, Sweden, in 2024.
Opponents of Israel's participation cite the war in Gaza, which has left more than 70,000 people dead, according to the
territory's Health Ministry, which operates under the Hamas-run government and whose detailed records are viewed as
generally reliable by the international community.
Israel's government has repeatedly defended its campaign as a response to the attack by Hamas-led militants that started
the war on Oct. 7, 2023. The militants killed around 1,200 people — mostly civilians — in the attack and took 251
A number of experts, including those commissioned by a U.N. body, have said that Israel's offensive in Gaza amounts to
genocide, a claim that Israel — home to many Holocaust survivors and their relatives — has vigorously denied.
A boycott by some European broadcasters could have implications for viewership and money at a time when many
broadcasters are under financial pressure from government funding cuts and the advent of social media.
The pullouts include some big names in the Eurovision world. Spain is one of the "Big Five" large-market countries that
contribute the most to the contest. Ireland has won seven times, a record it shares with Sweden.
The controversy over Israel's 2026 participation also threatens to overshadow the return next year of three countries —
Bulgaria, Moldova and Romania — after periods of absence because of financial and artistic reasons.
"Next year's edition is certainly going to be one of the most politicized ever," Vuletic said. "It's the 70th
anniversary. It was meant to be a big celebration, a big party, but it's going to be shrouded in political controversy