Spain, Ireland, Slovenia and Netherlands pull out of 2026 Eurovison over Israel participation

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

58% : But the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) said after a meeting in Geneva that there had been "clear support" among members for reforms implemented to "reinforce trust and protect neutrality".
57% : Meanwhile, Slovenia was one of the first EU members to recognize Palestinian statehood in 2024.
56% : A statement from Icelandic broadcaster RUV posted on its website said: "The board of RUV will discuss on Wednesday whether Iceland will participate in the competition next year, despite Israel's participation.
53% : Eurovision voting arrangements came under scrutiny after Israel's Yuval Raphael surged into second place after the public vote at the last edition this year.
52% : There were suspicions, too, about the manipulation of the voting system to favour Israel at last year's event.
51% : The war in Gaza has been its biggest challenge, with pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrating against Israel outside the last two Eurovision contests in Basel, Switzerland, in May and Malmö, Sweden, in 2024.
51% : "Israel is part of Eurovision just as Germany is part of Europe," Germany's Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer was quoted by the newspaper Bild. German broadcaster SWR and Austria's ORF -- host of the next competition -- hailed Thursday's decision.
50% : At least four European countries on Thursday pulled out of the Eurovision Song Contest after organizers opted not to vote on Israel's future participation, allowing it to take part in next year's event.
47% : "The situation in Gaza, despite the ceasefire and the approval of the peace process, and the use of the contest for political goals by Israel, makes it increasingly difficult to keep Eurovision a neutral cultural event," said Alfonso Morales, the secretary general of Spain's RTVE. Ireland's RTE said its participation would be "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".
45% : Similar concerns about voter manipulation were raised the previous year when Israel's Eden Golan was catapulted into fifth place despite a lacklustre scoring from national juries.
42% : In the run-up to the meeting, held behind closed doors and under tight security in Geneva, EBU members appeared divided on the issue, with Israel winning support notably from Germany.
41% : Opponents of Israel's participation cite the war in Gaza, which has left more than 70,000 people dead and more than 173,000 wounded, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
37% : Moments after the release of the EBU statement, public broadcasters in Spain, Ireland and the Netherlands -- who had all backed Israel's exclusion -- said their countries would not take part next year.
36% : Despite a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, brokered by Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and the US on 10 October, the Israeli army has continued strikes in Gaza, killing and wounding hundreds.
35% : Countries cannot vote for their own entry, but AVROTROS accused Israel of "proven interference" at the last event this year by lobbying the public overseas to vote for it.
25% : Widespread opposition to Israel's war in Gaza had led to mounting calls for Israel to be excluded from the annual contest.

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