Ireland, Spain, Slovenia and the Netherlands will boycott next year’s Eurovision after Israel was given the all-clear to compete in the 2026 song contest despite calls by several participating broadcasters for its exclusion over the war in Gaza. In response, the Irish broadcaster RTÉ said it would not participate in the 2026 contest or broadcast the competition. Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, welcomed the decision on his country’s participation, saying Israel “deserves to be represented on every stage around the world”. ORF, the Austrian host broadcaster, had also said it wanted Israel to compete. SWR said before the meeting that Israel was entitled to compete in the contest.

Source: The Guardian December 05, 2025 15:22 UTC