Spain and the Netherlands announced on Thursday they would withdraw from next year’s Eurovision Song Contest after organizers decided to allow Israel to take part.
The announcement came after Eurovision’s governing body, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), met to discuss concerns about Israel’s participation, which some countries oppose because of its war effort in Gaza.
Dutch broadcaster Avrotros said Israel’s participation was “no longer compatible with the responsibilities we have as a public broadcaster.”
Spanish state broadcaster RTVE reported that Spain would withdraw after the EBU passed a resolution allowing Israel to join in 2026.
“I would like to express my serious doubts about the participation of Israeli broadcaster KAN in Eurovision 2026,” RTVE Secretary-General Alfonso Morales said at the EBU General Assembly.
The withdrawal came after EBU members voted to adopt stricter voting rules following allegations that Israel had manipulated the vote in favor of contestants.
The feel-good pop music festival, which attracts more than 100 million viewers each year, has been disrupted by the war in Gaza for the past two years.
The EBU, which organizes Eurovision and is made up of public broadcasters from 56 countries, holds bi-annual general meetings, with some countries calling for Israel’s exclusion due to alleged interference in voting and Israel’s actions in the war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The EBU said the new rules would strengthen “transparency and trust” and allow all countries, including Israel, to participate.
However, Spain and the Netherlands withdrew, followed by Ireland and Slovenia.
“Eurovision is becoming a bit of a disjointed event,” said Paul Jordan, a contest expert known as Doctor Eurovision.
“The slogan is ‘United by music’…Unfortunately, it’s divided by politics…It’s become quite a messy and toxic situation,” he said.
Opinions are divided over politics
The competition, now in its 70th year, will be held in Vienna in May and will see artists from dozens of countries compete for the continent’s musical crown.
Although he tries to put pop over politics, he repeatedly gets caught up in world affairs. Russia was expelled in 2022 following a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The war in Gaza has become a top issue, with pro-Palestinian demonstrators demonstrating against Israel outside the last two Eurovision contests, in Switzerland in May and in Sweden last year.
The Gaza war also exposed fissures in the European broadcasting world. Austria is set to host the competition after singer JJ won this year with “Wasted Love” and supports Israel’s participation. Germany is also said to support Israel.
Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain are among the countries threatening to withdraw from the 2026 Games if Israel is allowed to participate.
Opponents of Israel’s participation have criticized the conduct of the war in Gaza, which has killed more than 70,000 people, according to the Gaza Strip’s Health Ministry. The Ministry of Health operates under a Hamas-run government, and its detailed records are generally considered reliable by the international community.
The Israeli government has repeatedly defended its operation in response to attacks by Hamas-led extremists, who started the war on October 7, 2023. The militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 hostages in the attack.
Possible scenarios
Eurovision expert Dean Vletik said the boycott by EU member states was important because they were “not dictatorial states” and, like Israel, aim to share the same values of democracy, human rights and diversity.
“This will be the largest boycott of Eurovision in history. There have been boycotts in the past, but they were usually bilateral,” said Vletić, author of “Postwar Europe and the Eurovision Song Contest.”
The fallout from the boycott could have an impact on viewership and money, with many broadcasters under financial pressure from government funding cuts and the rise of social media.
The countries that are withdrawing include some of the biggest names in Eurovision.
Spain is one of the “big five” large market countries that contribute the most to the contest. Ireland have won seven times, matching Sweden for the record.
“There are no winners here. Whatever happens, whether Israel joins or leaves, whether countries stay or leave, Eurovision is not what it should be. Eurovision, despite our politics, is about joy and about bringing people together,” Jordan said.
“Unfortunately, I think it has become a bit of a political football.”