It has been clear since Thursday: Israel can take part in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 in Vienna. This caused a lack of understanding in some countries – and triggered an earthquake in the ESC world. The most important points.
Dec 5, 2025, 6:49 amDec 5, 2025, 6:49 am
What was decided?
Israel can take part in the Eurovision Song Contest in Austria in 2026. The members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) agreed on this on Thursday in Geneva.
In a secret vote, the public broadcasters adopted the new rules presented by the EBU two weeks ago with a two-thirds majority. A separate vote on Israel would only have been necessary if this request had been rejected.
Yuval Raphael took second place for Israel at the ESC 2025.Image: keystone
Will the competition now be boycotted?
Yes – the broadcasters in some countries now want to withdraw from the ESC. After this year’s competition in Basel, several countries announced a boycott if Israel continued to take part. Channel off Spain, Ireland, Slovenia and the Netherlands confirmed their withdrawal on Thursday evening. Spain, like Germany, Great Britain, Italy and France, is one of the five most important donors to the event.
Spain – here with Melody at the ESC 2025 – is one of the most important donors to the competition.Image: keystone
Whether the wave of boycotts will end with this remains to be seen. Also Belgium, Iceland, Sweden and Finland are currently considering such a step.
How do these countries justify the boycott?
The broadcasters from Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands and Slovenia are strongly criticizing the decision. The president of Spanish broadcaster RTVE, José Pablo López, said the decision to allow Israel to participate confirms that it is not a music competition but a festival dominated by geopolitical interests. The Dutch broadcaster Avrotros said that “participation under the current circumstances is incompatible with the public values that are essential to us.”
The Irish broadcaster RTÉ said that Ireland’s participation in the ESC would be unreasonable “given the horrific loss of life in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there.” The Slovenian broadcaster RTV said that as a public broadcaster it was obliged to adhere to ethical principles.
What is the Swiss position?
The SRG, in turn, did not take a position and advocated the political neutrality of the competition. She believes in the “peace-promoting, unifying and understanding-building effect of the ESC,” she said on Thursday evening.
SRG boss Susanne Wille.Image: keystone
The SRG “adheres to the democratic principle that majority decisions must be accepted, which is why it supports the decision of the EBU General Assembly on this issue in solidarity.”
What does the host say about the boycott?
As host of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026, Austria is looking forward to Israel’s participation and shows little understanding for boycott announcements from several European countries. The Broadcasting Union’s decision to allow Israel to take part in 2026 exposes deep fissures within the ESC community.
Vienna’s mayor Michael Ludwig said he was generally “skeptical about boycotting artists – especially when it concerns their origins.” Austria’s public broadcaster ORF, which organizes the ESC on May 16th in Vienna, also expressed criticism. At the same time, the decision for Israel to participate reveals a deep division between the member broadcasters of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).
Michael Ludwig, Mayor of Vienna.Image: www.imago-images.de
ORF director Roland Weissmann regretted the boycott. “I see the Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna as an opportunity to put what unites us before what divides us,” he said, emphasizing that it was not countries taking part in the ESC, but artists. Mayor Ludwig said he expressly welcomed the decision to allow Israel to participate. “Israeli artists should and will always be able to perform with us.”
Minister of State for Culture Wolfram Weimer (independent) also viewed the EBU’s decision positively: “Israel belongs to the ESC like Germany belongs to Europe,” he told “Bild”. That’s why he thinks it’s good that Israel will remain part of the world’s largest singing competition in 2026. “ESC is an opportunity to spend a great evening with friends and celebrate the diversity of music.”
How does Israel react?
In Israel, President Izchak Herzog expressly welcomed the decision. The Israeli broadcaster KAN said the attempt to exclude the Israeli contribution “can only be understood as a cultural boycott. A boycott may start today – with Israel – but no one knows where it will end and who else it could harm.”
Izchak Herzog, President of Israel.Image: keystone
Will there be any further changes next year?
Yes. According to the Broadcasting Union, the change to the voting and advertising rules for the Song Contest is intended, among other things, to restrict government-related advertising campaigns for ESC participants. This was a reaction to the result of the ESC 2025 in Basel. There, the Israeli singer Yuval Raphael took second place thanks to an extremely large number of audience votes. Critics claimed that audience votes had been manipulated.
According to the EBU, the changes are intended to ensure “trust, transparency and neutrality” at the ESC. The motto of the 70th ESC final is “United by Music” – united through music.
(dab/sda/dpa)