Spain Threatens ESC Boycott Over Israel

Spain is creating facts in the dispute over Israel's participation in the Vienna Eurovision Song Contest 2026. Following the escalating threats from politics, the board of the public broadcaster RTVE officially decided on Tuesday not to participate in the Vienna ESC next May if Israel is not excluded. Thus, after countries like Ireland and the Netherlands, a member of the Big Five of the EBU is now putting its foot down.

EBU Under Pressure

The Big Five refers to the five major contributors Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Spain, who as the main financial backers of the music competition are automatically qualified for the final and contribute significantly to its budget. The withdrawal of one of these countries would affect the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) much more significantly than the withdrawal of other nations.

The left-wing government of Spain is among the harshest critics of the Israeli military operation in Gaza in Europe. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez had already called for Israel's exclusion from the ESC in May of the previous year. Before Spain, Ireland and the Netherlands had recently threatened to withdraw. Slovenia and Iceland had also hinted at similar considerations, which also applies to Belgium. Austria, as the host country, has, however, clearly spoken in favor of Israel's participation through ORF Director General Roland Weißmann - a stance also supported by the board of trustees.

Israel Wants to Participate in the Song Contest in Vienna

From Israel itself, it was stated just on Monday that despite the boycott threats from other countries, they still want to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 in Vienna. "There is no reason why Israel should not continue to be an important part of this cultural event, which must not become political under any circumstances," said the director of the Israeli television station Kan, Golan Jochpaz.

As it stands, it is heading towards a final showdown in December when the EBU General Assembly makes the decision. After all, the EBU is the organizer of the ESC and thus responsible for the admission of countries. ESC Director Martin Green of the EBU recently expressed understanding for the concerns of several countries in light of the catastrophic situation in the Gaza Strip and emphasized that consultations with all EBU member states on the issue were ongoing.

(APA/Red)

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