Spain Threatens Eurovision Boycott If Israel Is Admitted, Joining Iceland, Ireland, Paesi Bassi, Slovenia

Spain’s public broadcaster RTVE said its board intends to withdraw from the next Eurovision Song Contest if Israel is admitted, adding Spain to a boycott lineup that already includes Iceland, Ireland, Paesi Bassi and Slovenia.

“Recent American strikes tied to the tensions between Israel and Iran raise concerns about the global energy market”

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The RSI Radiotelevisione svizzera report links the decision to “crescente tensione internazionale” tied to operations in the Striscia di Gaza, and notes that Madrid recognized the State of Palestine on 28 maggio 2024 together with Irlanda e Norvegia.

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During the last Eurovision edition in Basilea, RTVE challenged the festival by transmitting a solidarity message to the popolo palestinese before the official start, even as it warned of the risk of sanctions.

The message quoted by RSI said “Sui diritti umani, il silenzio non è un’opzione. Pace e giustizia per la Palestina,” and the report says the Spanish government position was reinforced when the prime minister expressed “ammirazione” for pro-Palestinian demonstrations that interrupted the last stage of the Vuelta in Madrid.

RSI adds that RTVE’s decision could pressure the European Broadcasting Union (EBU/UER) to reconsider Israel’s participation, as happened for Russia after the invasion of Ukraine.

Domani frames the Eurovision 2026 fracture as led by Spain and says the ball is in the hands of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU/UER), which will have to decide what to do by December.

It reports that on September 16 the board of RTVE voted 10–4 (one abstention) for withdrawal if Israel is present, and that the broadcaster asked the EBU for a “serious and deep” discussion about the political impact of Tel Aviv’s participation.

BBC

Domani says other broadcasters followed in quick succession, with AVROTROS saying it could no longer justify Israel in light of “grave suffering in Gaza,” and RTÉ calling participation with Israel “inconceivable.”

The same report says the EBU will decide at the General Assembly on December 4–5 in Geneva, and that it extended deadlines for candidatures and withdrawals without penalties.

From the Israeli side, Domani says Kan, the public TV, confirms participation and asserts the event’s “cultural” character, while it notes that Russia’s 2022 exclusion after the invasion of Ukraine looms over broadcasters’ calls for general criteria.

BBC describes how Eurovision’s fallout over Israel may change the competition forever, recalling that UK viewers heard commentator Graham Norton say organisers “will be breathing the largest sigh of relief that they're not faced with a Tel Aviv final next year.”

“More and more countries will not participate in the music event if Tel Aviv participates: led by Spain, which has requested a 'serious and deep' discussion about the political impact of the issue”

Domani

The BBC report says anti-Israel protests built ahead of the contest in Basel, Switzerland, where protesters wore the Palestinian flag and smeared themselves with fake blood to symbolise the killings in Gaza.

It also recounts that during the grand final the Israeli singer Yuval Raphael was targeted when two people attempted to storm the stage and threw paint which ended up hitting a Eurovision crew member.

The BBC says broadcasters questioned Israel’s high finish and pointed to official social media accounts linked to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asking people to vote for its representative 20 times, the maximum the contest allowed.

In response, the BBC reports that the EBU confirmed the vote had been independently checked and verified and said there was no evidence that voting up to 20 times “disproportionally affects [sic] the final result,” later clarifying it was “a valid and robust result.”