Iceland quits Eurovision in protest over Israeli participation
Iceland has become the fifth country to announce that it will not take part in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest after organisers confirmed Israel’s participation last week.
The country’s public broadcaster, RUV, said Iceland was among the countries that requested a vote on Israel’s participation. But the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) decided not to call a vote, saying it had instead passed new rules aimed at discouraging governments from influencing the contest.
“It is clear from the public debate in this country and the reaction to the EBU’s decision last week that there will be neither joy nor peace regarding RUV’s participation,” RUV ‘s Director General Stefan Eiriksson said in a statement.
The next Eurovision contest will be held in Austria’s capital, Vienna, in May. Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland and Slovenia also withdrew in protest, citing Israel’s conduct in Gaza.
How Israel is tearing Eurovision apart
Iceland is the latest country to boycott the Eurovision Song Contest over Israel's participation in the competition, despite the country's genocide in Gaza and continued oppression of the Palestinian people.
Broadcasters in Ireland, Iceland, Spain, the Netherlands and Slovenia say that taking part alongside Israel would conflict with their public values, citing the high civilian death toll in Gaza and what they describe as serious human rights concerns. They argue that Eurovision cannot credibly claim to be a neutral cultural event while a participant is accused by many of grave violations in an ongoing conflict.
What does the Eurovision boycott mean for the future of the contest, can it survive the biggest crisis of its history? Joining Enda Brady for this discussion: Natalija Gorscak President of Management Board for RTV Slovenia.
Is the Eurovision nonsense finally going to wake up Europe?
Eurovision and Israel: No More Hiding Places For The BBC
Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands and Slovenia (and now Iceland) have shown the way and demonstrated it is perfectly possible for national broadcasters to take a principled stance and say that if Russian war crimes justify exclusion from Eurovision, so do Israeli war crimes.
The Israeli government, meanwhile, have explictly claimed that broadcasters that are not boycotting the contest are taking that position because they are "friends of Israel". So there is no longer any hiding place for the BBC - they appear to have picked a side and are enthusiastically participating in the 'artwashing' of Israel's atrocities in Gaza. The same is true of any singers or commentators who facilitate the BBC's participation in the contest next year.
As well as any advertisers for the show, BDS. Boycott the sponsors and there is no show. Banning the broadcast by 5 countries will already remove a lot of advertising euros.
