In recent days, three countries officially announced their withdrawal from the contest as long as Israel participates. Now, Norway declares it will not boycott Eurovision 2026 even if Israel takes part.
In the past week, Slovenia, Ireland, and the Netherlands officially declared that they will boycott Eurovision as long as Israel continues to participate. In addition to these three, Iceland and Spain have hinted at the possibility of withdrawing from the contest under the same conditions. Surprisingly, today (Friday), Norway, often perceived as anti-Israel, announced that it will not boycott Eurovision 2026 even if Israel remains in the competition.
As stated, Slovenia, Ireland, and the Netherlands all issued official statements pledging their withdrawal so long as Israel competes during the ongoing war in Gaza. The rising trend of countries threatening to leave the contest over Israel’s participation has alarmed many fans, and with good reason. Within just days, three national broadcasters loudly opposed Israel’s presence, conditioning their own participation on Israel’s exclusion. Many fear that, at this pace, other countries may follow suit.
Against this backdrop, Norway’s announcement that it will not boycott the contest even if Israel participates offers cautious optimism for many Israelis. The declaration surprised Eurovision fans, especially because Norway has long been regarded by Israelis as one of the most hostile states toward them in the competition. Former Norwegian Head of Delegation Stig Karlsen had previously spoken out sharply against Israel’s participation.
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.
