Irish national broadcaster RTÉ officially declares it will not participate in Eurovision 2026 as long as Israel remains in the contest, intensifying the growing political storm.
The climax of the dispute regarding Israel’s participation in Eurovision 2026 came in an unusual announcement by the Irish national broadcaster RTÉ:
“Our position is that Ireland will not participate in Eurovision 2026 as long as Israel continues to take part in the contest. The final decision about Ireland’s participation will be announced after the EBU’s ruling”.
RTÉ is the second national broadcaster, after Slovenia’s RTVSLO, to officially announce withdrawal from the contest as long as Israel remains a competitor. Alongside Ireland and Slovenia, the national broadcasters of Iceland and Spain have hinted they will also withdraw if Israel continues to participate, but no official announcement has yet been made.
Ireland Against Israel in Eurovision
Ireland has long been known for its deeply strained relationship with Israel in the Eurovision context. The most visible example is singer Bambie Thug, who represented Ireland in Eurovision 2024 with the song “Doomsday Blue” and finished 6th place with 278 points — one spot below Israel, which placed 5th.
Bambie repeatedly stirred controversy against Israel both during and after the competition. During the contest, Thug expressed clear support for Palestinians, including by appearing with ancient Irish script on her face calling for a “Ceasefire”, wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh, and holding watermelon-shaped pillows in the greenroom during voting. These actions further inflamed tensions over Israel’s participation in Eurovision.
More recently, Thug proudly announced a particularly bizarre step: she has decided to boycott her own Eurovision entry song as long as Israel is allowed to participate in the contest.
EBU’s Response: “Each Broadcaster Decides Whether to Participate”
Martin Green, the contest’s executive supervisor, stressed that participation in Eurovision is voluntary:
“The EBU will continue to maintain neutrality regarding the Middle East conflict”.
The vote on Israel’s suspension is expected December 4th-5th during the EBU General Assembly. Green added that by mid-December, each country will be required to confirm participation, and each national broadcaster will decide independently: “We will respect every decision”.
The EBU’s regulations allow suspension or expulsion of a country only through a special vote with a qualified majority, and only in extreme circumstances. Therefore, despite pressure from Slovenia, Spain, and Iceland, suspending or excluding Israel does not seem realistic at this stage. Nevertheless, Slovenia’s declarations and threats, along with the possibility of more countries joining a boycott, place significant uncertainty over the Vienna contest. Will Israel ultimately take part in the competition? For now, it is impossible to say with certainty — but many are still holding their breath in hope.
הצגת פוסט זה באינסטגרם
Israel at Eurovision 2025
“New Day Will Rise” is the song performed by Yuval Raphael, who was chosen to represent Israel after winning the 11th season of “HaKokhav HaBa”. Israel advanced to the final after winning the second semi-final with 203 points and finished second overall with 357 points in the grand final. Israel ranked first in the public vote but only 14th with the jury. This marks the third consecutive year that Israel has reached the top five – an unprecedented achievement.
Eurovision 2026: This will be Israel’s 48th participation in Eurovision. Israel joined the contest in 1973 and has won four times. Its most recent victory was at Eurovision 2018 with the song “Toy”, performed by singer Netta Barzilai.
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Ilay Gaist is a leading Israeli content creator and writer specializing in the Eurovision Song Contest. He is a well-known commentator with extensive expertise in the contest’s history, rules, and dynamics. His passion for Eurovision drives him to deliver rich, professional, and innovative content to his audience.
Ilay holds a bachelor’s degree in Arabic and has a multilingual background. He also engages in cultural research, with a particular focus on global culinary traditions and the evolution of local cuisines around the world.
