Spanish state broadcaster RTVE’s board voted on Tuesday to withdraw from the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest to be held in May in Vienna if Israel takes part in the event.
Spain is the fifth country to make such a pledge after Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Iceland, and the first of the so-called Big Five – a group that also includes Britain, Germany, Italy and France. These countries automatically qualify for the contest’s final round.
Last week RTÉ said it would pull out of the Eurovision Song Contest next year if Israel participates.
In a statement issued on September 11th, the broadcaster confirmed the decision on the issue, which director general Kevin Bakhurst first raised with the European Broadcasting Union earlier this year.
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The Spanish measure, proposed by RTVE president Jose Pablo Lopez, garnered 10 votes in favour, four against and one abstention in the 15-member board, the broadcaster said in a statement.
Eurovision, which stresses its political neutrality, has faced controversy this year linked to the war in Gaza.
Several countries had urged the European Broadcasting Union, an alliance of public broadcasters that organises and co-produces the annual event, to exclude Israel from the 2025 edition. Israeli contestant Yuval Raphael ended up finishing second.
Austrian singer JJ, who won this year, has also called for Israel’s exclusion in 2026.
Israel’s participation in the annual song contest has been a source of criticism from pro-Palestinian activists in recent years as the assault on Gaza begun after the October 7th attacks on Israel by Hamas have continued and intensified. − Reuters
