Israel allowed to take part in Eurovision 2026 – as several countries withdraw

Israel will be allowed to compete in next year’s Eurovision Song Contest, organisers have said – with several broadcasters saying they will now boycott the event.

Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS, Spain’s RTVE, Ireland’s RTE and Slovenia’s RTV immediately issued statements saying they will not participate in the 2026 contest following the European Broadcasting Union’s general assembly meeting on Thursday.

Members from 37 countries were asked to vote in a secret ballot on whether they were happy with tougher new rules announced last month, without going ahead with a vote on participation next year.

It followed criticism from some broadcasters of Israel’s role in Eurovision amid the war in Gaza, and allegations that voting at this year’s contest had been manipulated in favour of their contestant.

In a statement, the EBU, which organises Eurovision, said members had shown “clear support for reforms to reinforce trust and protect neutrality”. The final vote was 738 votes in favour of adopting the reforms without a vote on participation, 264 against and 120 abstentions (each country receives 24 votes divided among its broadcasters). Only 11 countries voted against only accepting the rule changes.

Golan Yochpaz, chief executive of Israel’s public broadcaster KAN, said during the meeting that attempts to remove them from the contest could “only be understood as a cultural boycott”, according to a statement shared by the organisation.

Israel’s president Isaac Herzog posted on X following the announcement, saying: “Israel deserves to be represented on every stage around the world, a cause to which I am fully and actively committed… I hope that the competition will remain one that champions culture, music, friendship between nations, and cross-border cultural understanding.”

According to the reports, Germany and Ukraine broadcasters offered public backing for Israel’s participation during the assembly debate, while those from Spain, Belgium, Slovenia and Turkiye, which is an EBU member but does not compete in Eurovision-caalled foe the country to be ousted.