Nations to boycott Eurovision as EBU approves Israel to compete

Image: EBU

EBU Members have voted to approve new Eurovision rule changes and have opted for no vote on Israel's participation.

This means Israel is free to compete in next year's Eurovision Song Contest.

The vote was held at the EBU General Assembly overnight, with 736 (66%) voting in favour of changes and not requiring a vote on Israel, 264 (24%) against and and 120 abstaining (11%).

This will see Israel be eligible to compete and the new rules announced last month to feature in Vienna.

Countries withdraw

Following the news, many EBU Members announced their withdrawal from Eurovision.

Reports indicate The Netherlands, Spain, Ireland and Slovenia have made announced they will not participate.

The Dutch broadcaster released a statement saying:

"AVROTROS has decided not to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2026. This decision follows a careful process in which information was gathered from a wide range of stakeholders: from the Israeli ambassador to Amnesty International, from the EBU to various European public broadcasters, and internally from our own Association Council, Works Council, and Supervisory Board, as well as the many thousands of Eurovision fans who reached out.

All things considered, AVROTROS concludes that participation under the current circumstances is incompatible with the public values ​​that are essential to us. "

Taco Zimmerman, CEO of AVROTROS added:

"This was not an easy decision, and we didn't make it lightly. The Eurovision Song Contest is incredibly valuable to us. Culture unites, but not at all costs. What happened last year touches our boundaries. Universal values ​​like humanity and a free press have been seriously violated and are non-negotiable for us. Furthermore, last year's political interference demonstrated that the independence and unifying nature of the Eurovision Song Contest can no longer be taken for granted. We choose the core values ​​of AVROTROS and, as a public broadcaster, have the responsibility to remain true to these values, even when that proves difficult or delicate."AVROTROS will not broadcast the Eurovision Song Contest in 2026. The NPO will ensure that the Eurovision Song Contest will remain available for Dutch viewers and fans next year."

This is a developing story, more to come...