Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland and Slovenia will walk away from the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest after Israel was cleared Thursday to take its spot next year.
The BBC reports they were among a number of countries who had called for Israel to be excluded over its response to the murderous Hamas terrorist attack in October, 2023.
A meeting in Geneva decided by a “large majority” of members agreed there was no need for a further vote on participation and that Eurovision 2026 could proceed as planned, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) said.
Spanish broadcaster RTVE, which had led calls for a secret ballot on the issue, said the decision had increased its “distrust of the festival’s organisation,” the BBC report notes.
Bambie Thug (back) from Ireland performs “Doomsday Blue” on stage at the final of the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) 2024 in the Malmö Arena. Ireland will be missing at the next running in 2026 to protest Israel’s inclusion. (Jens Büttner/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Ireland’s RTÉ despaired its “participation remains unconscionable given the appalling loss of lives in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there which continues to put the lives of so many civilians at risk.”
“This vote means that all EBU Members who wish to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 and agree to comply with the new rules are eligible to take part,” the EBU confirmed when it made its decision public.
The past two contests have seen the Israeli acts receive little backing from professional juries but a surge of support from the public vote.
That catapulted Eden Golan from the depths of the jury rankings to fifth place in Malmo, Sweden in 2024, and Yuval Raphael to second place in Basel, Switzerland, this year.
Eurovision 2026 is scheduled to consist of two semi-finals on 12 and 14 May, and a final on 16 May 2026, held at Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, Austria.
The full list of participants for the 70th-anniversary edition of the Eurovision Song Contest will be announced before Christmas.
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