Spain has announced it will withdraw from the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest if Israel takes part, becoming the fifth country to make such a declaration.
The decision was made after the board of the Spanish state broadcaster RTVE voted to condition its participation on Israel’s exclusion from the competition.
Spain joins the Netherlands, Slovenia, Iceland and Ireland in threatening to boycott the contest amid growing pressure over Israel’s actions in Gaza and last week’s controversial strike in Qatar that targeted Hamas leaders.
The European Broadcasting Union, which organises Eurovision, is facing increasing calls to suspend Israel’s entry, with campaigners and several governments arguing that its participation is incompatible with the competition’s values during the ongoing war.
A final decision on Israel’s participation is expected to be made in the coming weeks. If Israel is barred, it would mark the second time in Eurovision history that a country has been excluded due to political conflict, after Russia was banned following its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
