Four countries to boycott Eurovision song contest after Israel not banned from participating

Ireland, Spain, Slovenia, and the Netherlands will boycott the 2026 Eurovision song contest after the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) gave Israel the green light to compete on Thursday.

The countries were among several participating broadcasters who called for Israel's exclusion over accusations of Israel employing unfair voting practices and due to Israel's war on Gaza.

While the EBU's semi-annual General Assembly did not vote on Israel’s participation in Eurovision, they did vote to reduce government influence on voting results after the Israeli government was said to have unfairly promoted the song of the Israeli participant. 

“A large majority of members agreed that there was no need for a further vote on participation and that the Eurovision song contest 2026 should proceed as planned, with the additional safeguards in place,” the EBU said in a statement.

Russia was banned from Eurovision after it invaded Ukraine in 2022.