SPAIN will not take part in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest after Israel was allowed to compete.
Earlier this year, Spain’s national broadcaster RTVE said the country would boycott the next edition of the competition unless Israel was expelled over the war in Gaza.
But a vote taken on Thursday by an assembly of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) – the producers and organisers of Eurovision – confirmed that Israel will be allowed to take part in the contest’s 70th edition, set to take place in Vienna, Austria.
RTVE will also not broadcast the final, set to be held on May 16, and the two preliminary semi-finals, pencilled in for May 12 and May 14 next year.
Ireland and the Netherlands will also boycott the popular competition, watched by over 150 million people this year, with other countries including Slovenia and Iceland expected to follow suit.
In a speech made prior to the vote, RTVE general secretary Alfonso Morales said: “I would like to express our serious doubts about the participation of Israeli television channel KAN in Eurovision 2026.
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“The situation in Gaza, despite the ceasefire and the approval of the peace process, and Israel’s use of the contest for political purposes, make it increasingly difficult to maintain Eurovision as a neutral cultural event.”
In September, Golan Yochpaz, the chief executive of the Israeli broadcaster KAN, said: “There is no reason why Israel should not continue to be a significant part of this cultural event, which cannot become political.”
Israel’s participation in Eurovision in May, held in Basel, Switzerland, was a source of immense controversy.
A number of Palestinian flags were seen in the crowd during the final, two pro-Palestinian protesters were pinned down by security after attempting to disrupt proceedings, and BBC broadcaster Graham Norton, who provides commentary for Eurovision coverage in the UK, suggested that crowd noise had been edited to mask boos and jeers during Israel’s performance.
Following the contest, RTVE asked the EBU for an audit to clarify how the Spanish televote was distributed. Spain handed the maximum twelve points to Israel.
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According to El País, officials at RTVE expressed ‘doubts’ over the validity of the results.
The broadcaster also issued a message of support for Palestinians ahead of its coverage. The message, ‘In the face of human rights, silence is not an option. Peace and justice for Palestine,’ was shown on televisions across Spain.
Even prime minister Pedro Sanchez weighed in on the debate over Israel’s participation, accusing the EBU of perpetuating a ‘double standard’ by allowing Israel to compete.
Sanchez compared the situation to 2022 when Russia was booted out of the song contest following the invasion of Ukraine.
“Nobody put their hands to their heads when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began three years ago and they were asked to leave international competitions and also not to participate, as we have seen recently, in Eurovision. Therefore, neither should Israel,” Sanchez said.
He added: “Israel should not be allowed [to participate] because what we cannot allow is double standards.”
Spain has taken part in every Eurovision Song Contest since 1961.
Spain is one of the ‘Big Five’ countries, alongside the UK, France, Germany and Italy, that are automatically handed an entry into the final due to the financial contribution of their national broadcasters.
