Five broadcasters withdraw from Eurovision 2026 in Boycott over Israel
Broadcasters from Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Iceland and Slovenia withdrew from Eurovision 2026 in a boycott over Israel's inclusion. Their exit follows months of dispute over the contest's handling of Israel after Yuval Raphael finished first in the public vote at the grand final.
The European Broadcasting Union said the public vote had been independently checked and verified, and later called it "a valid and robust result." The withdrawals make the contest's host broadcaster in Austria face the largest boycott in Eurovision's 70-year history.
Yuval Raphael Vote
Raphael, the Israeli singer targeted during the grand final when two people attempted to storm the stage, drew middling points from the judges but outperformed every other participant in the public vote. Paint thrown during that attempted storming hit a Eurovision crew member. Official social media accounts linked to Israel's government, including Benjamin Netanyahu's, asked people to vote for Israel's representative 20 times.
The voting pattern became a flashpoint because broadcasters had already raised concerns about Israel's high public result and asked for a review of the voting system. VRT, the Flemish public broadcaster, said it wanted the system reviewed as "a fair reflection of the opinion of viewers and listeners."
Basel Protest Pressure
That dispute reached the grand final after several hundred protesters demonstrated in Basel, Switzerland, ahead of the show. They wore the Palestinian flag and smeared themselves with fake blood to symbolize the killings in Gaza. During the broadcast, Graham Norton told UK viewers Austria would be breathing "the largest sigh of relief that they're not faced with a Tel Aviv final next year" after Austria won last May and earned the right to host this year's event.
Some broadcasters said they were boycotting the contest in protest at the military offensive in Gaza that began in 2023. The Gaza health ministry, run by Hamas, says more than 72,000 people have been killed, while Hamas says Israel was attacked on 7 October 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage.
Eurovision 2026 Fallout
Israel first entered Eurovision in 1973 and has won four times, making the current boycott a break with a long-standing competition pattern. Some broadcasters have accused Israel's government of genocide, which Israel strongly denies. The five withdrawals leave Austria to move ahead with a contest now shaped as much by broadcaster protest as by the song competition itself.
