Spain, Ireland, Slovenia, and the Netherlands announced on Thursday (December 4) that they will be boycotting the 2026 Eurovision contest because Israel would continue to be allowed to participate. These announcements were made after the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) General Assembly denied a vote to suspend Israel’s participation in next year’s competition.

“We would like to express our serious doubts about the participation of Israeli broadcaster KAN in Eurovision 2026,” said Alfonso Morales, the Secretary General for RTVE, Spain’s public broadcaster and Eurovision organizer. “The situation in Gaza, despite the ceasefire and the approval of the peace process, and Israel’s use of the contest for political purposes, make it increasingly difficult to maintain Eurovision as a neutral cultural event.”

The Netherlands’ broadcaster, AVROTROS, also released a statement: “On 12 September 2025, AVROTROS indicated that the severe humanitarian suffering in Gaza, the suppression of press freedom and political interference during the last edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, are not compatible with values that are fundamental to us. In that context, AVROTROS concludes that the participation of the Israeli broadcaster KAN is no longer compatible with the responsibility that we as public broadcasters bear this year.”

Ireland’s broadcaster, RTÉ, stated: “Following today’s EBU Winter General Assembly in Geneva at which Israel's participation in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest was confirmed, RTÉ’s position remains unchanged. RTÉ will not participate in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest, nor will RTÉ broadcast the competition.”

This withdrawal presents a big problem for the organizers of Eurovision because Spain is part of the “Big Five” sponsors to the singing competition. Additionally, the Netherlands and Ireland are frequently top-ranking competitors, having won five and seven times respectively. Not only are these nations withdrawing from competing in the competition, but they are also refusing to broadcast it.

Israel and several other nations outside of Europe are allowed to participate in Eurovision because their public broadcasters are members of the EBU. In 2022, Russia was indefinitely banned from participating in the competition over its invasion of Ukraine. Russia is currently the only nation banned from Eurovision.

The President of Israel, Isaac Herzog, posted a statement to X, thanking those who supported Israel’s right to compete. “Israel deserves to be represented on every stage around the world, a cause to which I am fully and actively committed,” he said. “I hope that the competition will remain one that champions culture, music, friendship between nations, and cross-border cultural understanding.”