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Four European countries – Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain – have announced their withdrawal from the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest after Israel’s participation was confirmed.
Slovenian broadcaster RTV said its decision was made “on behalf of the 20,000 children killed in Gaza”, while Ireland’s national broadcaster RTÉ considered the involvement “inappropriate given the catastrophic loss of life in Gaza”.
These developments follow a series of events from the previous two competitions.
2024 Eurovision Song Contest
Israel’s participation in the 2024 contest, held in Malmö, Sweden in May, drew criticism in light of the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza.
UK entrant Olly Alexander and Ireland’s Bambi Thug, along with other Eurovision artists, issued a joint statement before the contest supporting an “immediate and permanent ceasefire” in Gaza, but declined to boycott the event.
During the week-long competition, pro-Palestinian protesters showed their support for Gaza and condemned Israel’s involvement, while Israeli contestant Eden Golan’s performance was met with a mixture of praise and cheering.
Golan’s emotional ballad Hurricane was reworked from a previous track titled October Rain, which was thought to reference the Hamas attacks on Israel that sparked the conflict.
Before Golan’s performance in the semi-finals, Swedish police estimated that 10,000 to 12,000 pro-Palestine people, including climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, marched in the city of Malmö.
During the demonstrations, smoke canisters in the colors of the Palestinian flag were released and protesters, some of whom were accompanied by dogs, small children and bicycles, carried signs displaying photos of Gaza civilians who have been injured amid the Hamas-Israel conflict.
Israel’s national broadcaster claimed that its delegation faced an “unprecedented display of hatred” from other countries and their entrants during the contest.
– May 15, 2025
Israel’s entry for 2025, Yuval Rafael, was “interrupted” by six men with “big flags and whistles” during rehearsals for the second semi-final.
– May 18, 2025
Austria’s JJ won the 2025 contest with the emotional song Wasted Love while Raphael was runner-up.
Her team said Raphael, who survived the October 7 death, was left “shaken and distraught” after she was attacked by pro-Palestinian protesters heading towards a barrier while she was on stage.
During the incident, a crew member was hit with paint after two pro-Palestinian protesters attempted to disrupt Rafael while singing his entry New Day Will Rise.
Meanwhile, about 800 pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrated against Israel’s annexation near a free concert in the center of Basel on the day of the final, while a smaller group nearby protested with Israeli flags.
The group advocating Israel’s removal from the singing contest later moved from Basel to the Eurovision Village, where they were met with a significant police presence and tear gas was used.
– September 2025
Ireland announced that it would not participate in the 2026 contest if Israel participated.
Irish broadcaster RTÉ said a final decision on participation would be made when the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) makes its decision and said Ireland’s participation would be “inappropriate given the ongoing and catastrophic loss of life in Gaza”.
Spain, the Netherlands and Slovenia also threatened to withdraw if Israel did not pull out of the war in Gaza.
– December 4, 2025
Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain and Slovenia announced they would boycott the 2026 singing contest after the General Assembly met in Geneva on Thursday to discuss the future of the contest.
The 2026 competition will be held in Vienna.
