Spain joins Eurovision boycott as first of the ‘big five’ if Israel participates

Spain has confirmed that it will be boycotting the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest if Israel is allowed to participate, making the country the first of the ‘big five’ to threaten their absence.

• READ MORE: Eurovision 2024 – fans and boycotters speak: “This is bigger than the contest”

The ‘big five’ is comprised of the five countries that make the biggest financial contributions to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). These five countries – Spain, Italy, France, Germany and the UK – are granted immediate progression to the Eurovision finals every year regardless of their placing in the previous year’s contest, or without clearing the semi-finals. Should Israel participate in 2026, it will mark Spain and RTVE’s first time sitting out since joining in 1961.

Spain’s decision comes on the same day that a UN commission of inquiry established that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, which Israel has denied.

Speaking of the boycott, broadcaster RTVE president José Pablo López said, per The Guardian: “As joint organisers of the Eurovision song contest, we share a collective responsibility. While Israel has regularly participated in the competition, the current events and the genocide currently taking place make it impossible for us to look the other way.”

“It is not accurate to claim that Eurovision is merely an apolitical music festival. We are all aware that the contest carries significant political implications. The Israeli government is equally aware of this fact and leverages the event on the international stage.”

Despite Spain’s pressure to exclude Israel from Eurovision, the EBU as a whole has yet to come to a decision – they will deliberate in December.

López said: “Our hope is that a decision can be reached well before December, as the EBU must be aware of the serious damage being done to the Eurovision song contest, which will mark its 70th anniversary in 2026. Therefore, we hope this decision will be made earlier and that the EBU won’t be subjected to the stress of a last-minute vote in London in December. We believe that, for the good of the festival and the values ​​it has championed since its inception, this matter must be resolved before the scheduled assembly.”

Meanwhile, the BBC – the UK’s Eurovision broadcaster – has argued that while it acknowledges concerns raised by Spain and other countries, “Eurovision has never been about politics.”

In a previous comment to NME, Director of the Eurovision Song Contest, Martin Green CBE, said: “The EBU is an association of public service broadcasters, not governments. We remain in constant contact with all participating broadcasters of the Eurovision Song Contest, including RTVE in Spain, and take their concerns seriously.

“Now that the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 has concluded we will have a broad discussion with all participating broadcasters, to reflect and obtain feedback on all aspects of this year’s event as part of our planning process for the 70th Eurovision Song Contest next year.”

Other counties who have pledged to boycott Eurovision if Israel continues to participate include Ireland, The Netherlands and Slovenia.

Spain’s threat of boycott comes after the Spanish Prime Minister called for the country to be banned from Eurovision back in May. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez noted at the time how “nobody was up in arms when the Russian invasion of Ukraine began three years ago and [Russia] had to leave international competitions and could not take part, as we have just seen, in Eurovision. Therefore Israel shouldn’t either, because what we cannot allow is double standards in culture.”

Prior to that, over 70 former Eurovision contestants signed an open letter calling for Israel and national broadcaster KAN to be banned from the 2025 contest. This year’s winner, JJ, has also called for Israel to be banned from the competition in 2026.

Israel’s inclusion in the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest came despite Russia being banned from the contest since 2022 due to its ongoing conflict with Ukraine. Israel’s representative Yuval Raphael eventually finished second in the contest. In 2024, Ireland’s Eurovision entry Bambie Thug was also forced to change their pro-Palestine message by the competition’s organisers.

Unofficial proposals for a solution for far include suggestions that Israel temporarily withdraw from the competition or perform under a neutral flag, per Ynet Global.

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