Why Eurovision's fallout over Israel may change the competition forever
Source: BBC
Why Eurovision's fallout over Israel may change the competition forever
11 May 2026
Daniel Rosney
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With this year's boycott, there's now a broader question of whether the EBU is capable of preventing geopolitics taking over the competition.
"We received a lot of protests from Eurovision fans who said we shouldn't be on the stage together with Israel," Natalija Gorščak, president of the management board of the Slovenian broadcaster RTV, tells me. "Our ethical stand as a public service broadcaster should be to fight for peace."
Iceland's broadcaster RÚV, ahead of announcing its boycott, said it had "serious doubts about the conduct of both the Israeli public broadcaster and the Israeli government" when it came to competition rules. The Dutch broadcaster Avrotros cited "political interference" in the 2025 contest and said its participation would go against "public values that are fundamental to our organisation."
It could be argued the five boycotting broadcasters are themselves using the contest for political purposes to send a message directly to the Israeli government. Two are now on record questioning Ukraine's future too, and officials from participating broadcasters across the continent are privately saying similar things.
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Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgkpgm6vk48o
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The article is very long, covering much more than this 4-paragraph excerpt. While political controversies aren't new, Eurovision faces the biggest boycott in it's history.