BBC supports decision allowing Israel’s Eurovision participation amid boycott

The BBC has said it supports the “collective decision” allowing Israel to participate at the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest as other countries launched a boycott.

Ireland, The Netherlands, Spain and Slovenia announced they were pulling out of the singing competition following the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) general assembly in Geneva on Thursday, which discussed the future of the competition.

According to reports, a majority of EBU members voted against a proposal to hold a vote to ban Israel from competing.

A BBC spokesperson said: “We support the collective decision made by members of the EBU.

“This is about enforcing the rules of the EBU and being inclusive.”

Participating members were asked to vote on changes which included new rules to deter countries organising campaigns for their acts following concerns around the number of public votes Israel received in 2025.

Israeli singer Yuval Raphael received the largest number of votes from the public last May, ultimately finishing as runner-up after the jury votes were taken into account.

Afterwards, Irish broadcaster RTE requested a breakdown in voting numbers from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) while Spain’s public broadcaster, Radio Television Espanola (RTVE), called for a “complete review” of the voting system to avoid “external interference”.

According to the BBC, which attended the summit on Thursday, agreeing to the rule changes meant agreeing not to proceed with a vote on whether Israel could compete.

The Conservatives said it is “absolutely right” for Israel to be part of Eurovision and that boycotts announced by the countries are “deeply concerning”.

Shadow culture secretary Nigel Huddleston said: “It is deeply concerning to see so many countries choosing to boycott the event because of Israel’s inclusion. Music should be a uniting force, not a tool to be weaponised for political ends.

“We trust the Government will clearly rule out joining or legitimising this boycott in any capacity.”

Irish national broadcaster RTE said it will not broadcast or take part in the song contest, describing its participation as “unconscionable given the appalling loss of lives in Gaza”.

The RTE statement said: “RTE feels that Ireland’s participation remains 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.

“RTE remains deeply concerned by the targeted killing of journalists in Gaza during the conflict and the continued denial of access to international journalists to the territory.”

Russia was banned from Eurovision after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 but Israel has continued to compete for the past couple of years despite disputes.

The 2026 contest will be held in Vienna in May after a narrow victory by Austria’s JJ, with Wasted Love, beat Israeli singer Raphael, who was named runner-up after receiving the largest number of votes from the public combined with the jury votes.

In September, Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland and Slovenia threatened to withdraw unless Israel was excluded over the war in Gaza.

Dutch broadcaster Avrotros also announced that it would not broadcast the competition, saying it would be “incompatible with the public values that are essential to us”.

Taco Zimmerman, chief executive, said: “Universal values like humanity and a free press have been seriously violated and are non-negotiable for us. Furthermore, last year’s political interference demonstrated that the independence and unifying nature of the Eurovision Song Contest can no longer be taken for granted.

“We choose the core values of Avrotros and, as a public broadcaster, have the responsibility to remain true to these values, even when that is complicated or vulnerable.”

The Dutch public broadcasting organisation NPO will continue to ensure that next year’s Eurovision Song Contest will remain available for Dutch viewers and fans.

Slovenian broadcaster RTV said it was pulling out of the competition “on behalf of the 20,00 children who died in Gaza”.

In her address to members before the decision, Natalija Gorsck, RTV Slovenia board chairwoman, said: “For the third year in a row, the public has demanded that we say no to the participation of any country that attacks another country. We must follow European standards for peace and understanding.

“Our journalists were not and still are not allowed to enter Gaza, where more than 200 journalists were killed. Last year we saw that the Israeli performance was political. Don’t forget that we banned a similar performance by a Russian singer in Ukraine.

“Our message is: we will not participate in the ESC if Israel is there. On behalf of the 20,000 children who died in Gaza.”

In response to the decision to allow Israel to compete at next year’s Eurovision Song Contest, the country’s president Isaac Herzog wrote on X: “Israel deserves to be represented on every stage around the world, a cause to which I am fully and actively committed.”

Iceland broadcaster RUV said its board would discuss whether it would participate at a meeting next Wednesday after previously agreeing to a motion to recommend Israel be expelled from the contest.