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iceland Has become the fifth country to boycott 2026 Eurovision song Contest.
The Nordic country joins Spain, Ireland, Slovenia and the Netherlands in saying they will not take part in next year’s competition, as confirmed last week. israel Despite some demands to keep the country out of military action, it will participate in Gaza,
“The participation of the Israeli national broadcaster, Kan, in the contest has caused disagreements between the two members European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the general public,” Icelandic broadcaster RÚV said in a statement on Wednesday (December 10).
As reported BBC, iceland had previously indicated that it intended to quit next year’s competition, but wanted to wait until the issue could be discussed by its board of directors before making it official.
The meeting came just hours before the deadline for countries to confirm whether they will take part in the 70th edition of the singing contest to be held in Austria next May.
The EBU had held back from calling a vote on Israeli participation, and instead passed rules aimed at discouraging governments from influencing the contest.
A BBC spokesperson said: “We support the collective decision made by EBU members. This is about enforcing EBU rules and being inclusive.”
In contrast, Irish national broadcaster RTÉ described israelInvolvement was described as “unconscionable given the catastrophic loss of life.” Gaza,
The RTÉ statement said: “Following today’s EBU Winter General Assembly in Geneva, which included Israel’s participation in 2026.” Eurovision “Song contest confirmed, RTE’s position remains unchanged.”
Israel’s presence at Eurovision has been a growing source of tension due to the war in Gaza, as well as allegations that Israel’s government tried to influence the public vote in this year’s event.
Russia was banned from Eurovision in 2022 following its invasion of Ukraine, but Israel has continued to compete for the past two years despite controversies.
The EBU has introduced a number of measures to protect the integrity of the vote, but the Icelandic broadcaster said it “believes there are still doubts whether the agreed adjustments will be completely satisfactory”.
“RUV has repeatedly expressed concern that various Icelandic stakeholders, such as artist unions and the general public, are opposed to taking part in the contest,” he said.
“In addition, RUV requested the EBU to exclude KAN from the competition as an example.”
“This is a complex matter, which has already caused damage to the reputation of the competition and the EBU, which emphasizes the need for a solution for all parties concerned.”
Last week, Spain said it had decided to withdraw after being asked to vote on Israel’s participation. Ireland, Slovenia and the Netherlands also withdrew after the summit.
Israel has participated in Eurovision since 1973 because its public broadcaster, Kan, is a member of the EBU. Israel has won four times, most recently in 2018. It finished second in the 2025 contest.