9 countries boycott Eurovision Song Contest in protest against Israel's participation
Calls for a boycott cast a heavy shadow over the 70th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, which is scheduled to be held in Vienna next May.
According to European media, more than 1,000 international artists, including Peter Gabriel and the team "Mass Attack", signed a petition under the slogan "No to pro-genocide music", demanding that the Israel Broadcasting Corporation (Kan) be disqualified for accusing it of complicity in crimes committed in the Gaza Strip, which put the competition at the center of an unprecedented political storm.
The withdrawal of "adults" and the reduction in the number of participants
Nine countries have so far announced their boycott of the 2026 edition, most notably Spain, one of the "Big Five" countries funding the competition, making its refusal to broadcast a precedent in the history of Eurovision.
Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands and Slovenia also joined the boycott, reducing the number of participating countries to just 35, the smallest number in many years.
Russia's exclusion from the competition in 2022 following its invasion of Ukraine sparked a heated debate about "double standards", with political tension researcher Christina Oberg arguing that Russia's precedent encouraged countries and the public to question why the same sanctions were not applied to Israel as a result of the civilian death toll in Gaza over two years, undermining the concept of "political neutrality" sung by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).
Despite the pressure, the European Broadcasting Union (EBR) has defended the independence of the Israel Broadcasting Corporation, content with guarantees for the voting system following accusations of manipulation last year.
While Austria considers the cultural boycott "foolish," experts warn that the withdrawal of major networks could lead to a "slow death" for the competition, as its survival depends on the collective participation and massive funding currently pumped in by the withdrawing countries.
Padded Message Square
Eurovision has long been an arena for veiled political messages, from Hungary's withdrawal over its conservative line to the suspension of Belarus's participation.
With 166 million viewers in 2025, the financial and political stakes remain very high, putting the 70th edition in a fateful confrontation between maintaining its artistic image or exploding under the weight of the global moral and political divide.