Ireland, Spain, Slovenia and the Netherlands have all announced they will not take part in next year’s Eurovision contest, after the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) decided not to hold a vote on whether Israel should be allowed to compete.
According to the EBU, no ballot on Israel’s participation was put forward at Thursday’s general assembly. Instead, member broadcasters voted only on updated rules intended to curb excessive government or third-party promotion of entries.
The organisation said most members felt there was “no need” for any further vote on participation and that Eurovision 2026 should move ahead as planned with these new safeguards.
Ireland’s public broadcaster, RTÉ, said the country would withdraw from and not air the contest, arguing that taking part was morally indefensible in light of the “horrific” civilian deaths and humanitarian conditions in Gaza.
Spain’s broadcaster, RTVE, also confirmed it would neither participate in nor broadcast the event, criticising the decision-making process as inadequate and claiming it fostered distrust. RTVE had reportedly been among eight broadcasters that pushed for a secret ballot on Israel’s inclusion, the Guardian reported.
RTVE accused the EBU leadership of rejecting its request for a dedicated vote on Israel and suggested this refusal reinforced concerns about political pressure around the event. Spain’s culture minister publicly supported the boycott, saying cultural platforms should stand for “peace and justice” and should not help “whitewash” Israel amid the Gaza conflict.
Broadcasters in the Netherlands and Slovenia announced similar withdrawals. The Dutch channel Avrotros said it would step back from the 2026 contest, while Slovenia’s RTVSLO said participating would contradict its principles of peace, equality and respect.
During the meeting, the EBU also considered complaints about aggressive promotion methods, after Israel won the public vote at the last contest. The new rules were intended as a concession to critics, but many broadcasters who had threatened to boycott felt the changes did not go far enough.
In the final vote, about 65% of delegates supported the rule revisions and the decision not to revisit Israel’s eligibility, while 23% voted against and 10% abstained.