Israel to remain in Eurovision Song Contest
There had been calls for Israel's exclusion over the war in Gaza, as well as unfair voting accusations.
www.bbc.comHere’s the latest on Eurovision 2026 and Israel.
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Israel is confirmed to participate in Eurovision 2026 in Vienna despite opposition from several countries. This decision came after the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) opted not to hold a vote on Israel’s participation and to proceed with the contest under new voting safeguards.[1][3]
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Several broadcasters have announced they will withdraw from the 2026 contest in protest or due to concerns about Israel’s participation. Countries include Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, and Slovenia, with Spain and the Netherlands publicly stating their withdrawal and Ireland and Slovenia signaling strong opposition.[3][4][1]
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The show is still set for May 2026 in Vienna, with the final lineup to be confirmed by Christmas 2025; the withdrawals could affect viewing globally but the BBC confirmed it would broadcast the event, representing continued UK involvement in the contest.[3]
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Context you should know: new voting safeguards were introduced by the EBU to limit political influence on voting, in response to prior concerns about votes being influenced; despite those changes, the decision to include Israel proceeded and sparked ongoing debate about the event’s political neutrality.[2][3]
If you’d like, I can pull the most up-to-date official participant list for Eurovision 2026 and summarize which broadcasters have confirmed withdrawal and which remain in, with dates.