The largest boycott of Eurovision.. 5 countries withdraw in protest against Israel’s participation | art

The Eurovision Song Contest 2026 is witnessing an unprecedented crisis days before its launch, after Israel’s participation turned into a broad division within Europe, amid a wave of withdrawals and boycotts that is the largest since the 1970s, in a development that casts a shadow over one of the most prominent global musical events, while the European Broadcasting Union adheres to holding the contest “as planned” despite the escalation of political and cultural pressures related to the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.

The Austrian capital, Vienna, is scheduled to host the activities of the 70th session of the competition from May 12 to 16, amid mounting controversy regarding Israel’s continued participation, in light of increasing European calls to exclude it against the backdrop of the war in Gaza.

In this context, national broadcasters in five European countries that used to participate in the competition announced their withdrawal from the 2026 edition, namely Ireland, Spain, Slovenia, the Netherlands and Iceland, after the European Broadcasting Union gave Israel the green light to continue participating, despite growing demands from a number of members to exclude it, in a move described as the largest wave of boycotts witnessed by Eurovision since the 1970s.

These withdrawals came after the General Assembly of the European Broadcasting Union refused to hold a separate vote on Israel’s participation, contenting itself with approving new rules aimed at limiting the interference of governments and other parties in excessive promotion of songs with the aim of influencing the public’s vote.

The European Broadcasting Union said in a statement that a “large majority of members” saw no need for an additional vote on Israel’s participation, stressing that the competition “must continue as planned,” with the application of what it described as new additional guarantees.

In September 2025, the Spanish Radio and Television Corporation officially announced Madrid’s withdrawal from the Eurovision 2026 competitions, after Israel’s participation was confirmed by a decision of the General Assembly of the European Broadcasting Union, after it had previously indicated not to continue in the competition if Israeli participation continued.

The Spanish Authority later confirmed its adherence to its position following the last vote, making the decision to withdraw final, while announcing that the semi-final or final concerts would not be broadcast within Spain, considering that the new measures approved by the European Broadcasting Union to limit political influences and organized voting do not address concerns related to the integrity of the competition and the political circumstances surrounding it.

Spain is one of the oldest countries participating in Eurovision, as it joined the competition in 1961, participated in 64 entries, and won the title twice, in 1968 and 1969.

Boycott calls are expanding

The European wave of withdrawal coincided with the expansion of calls to boycott the competition, after more than a thousand musicians and cultural sector workers signed an open letter demanding the exclusion of Israel, considering that its continued participation raises questions about double standards, especially after Russia was excluded from the competition following the war in Ukraine in 2022.

These calls were supported by a number of international artists, including British singer Brian Eno and American singer Benjamin Hammond Haggerty, known by his stage name “MacLemore.”

The boycott also supports bands such as “Massive Attack” (British), “N-Cap” (Irish), “Sigur Rós” (Icelandic), and “Idols” (young Asian artists, singers, dancers, and actors, mostly Japanese and South Korean).

Sertab Araner’s apology raises questions

In a development that added more controversy, Turkish singer Sertab Araner, the holder of the first and last title achieved by Turkey in the history of Eurovision, aroused widespread interest after she apologized for participating in the final of the 70th edition, despite receiving an official invitation to appear in the closing ceremony scheduled in Vienna on May 16.

The Turkish artist attributed her decision to what she described as “the tense global political situation,” stressing that she does not feel a desire to attend the activities of the next edition of the competition.

Araner revealed her decision through a video clip that she published through the “Stories” feature on her official Instagram account, prior to a concert scheduled for her in Istanbul on the same date, coinciding with the holding of the Eurovision 2026 final, explaining that she had received a special invitation to participate in the closing ceremony, but she decided not to accept it because she “did not feel an internal motivation” to participate.

However, Turkish media reports linked its decision to the current political situation and Israel’s continued participation in the competition, in addition to its association with another concert in Istanbul on the same night.

Sertab Araner’s apology aroused remarkable interest, given its symbolism in the history of the competition, after it gave Turkey its only title in 2003 with the song “Everyway That I Can”, before it returned to the Eurovision stage in the 2024 edition as part of the artistic segments accompanying the second semi-final.

Although the Turkish artist did not directly refer to Israel or the boycott campaigns, her talk about global political tensions came at a time that coincided with the escalation of European and international criticism directed at the competition due to Israel’s continued participation.

The 2026 edition of Eurovision will be held in Vienna, jointly organized by the European Broadcasting Union and the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation, after Austria won the title of the last edition, while this year the event witnesses the participation of only 35 countries, which is the smallest number of participants since 2003, with Bulgaria, Moldova and Romania returning to the competition after years of absence.