A Gallup poll finds most Icelanders back withdrawing from Eurovision 2026 if Israel participates, ahead of Iceland’s key EBU vote
According to a new Gallup poll, 58% of Iceland’s citizens support withdrawing from Eurovision 2026 if Israel participates. Conversely, 20% favor Iceland’s participation regardless of Israel’s inclusion. It is important to note that the survey was conducted between September 18th and October 2nd, prior to the announcement of a ceasefire, which is likely to influence many Icelanders’ opinions.
Gender and Education Differences in Opinion
The survey reveals notable demographic variations regarding views on Israel. Men were found to be less influenced by Israel’s participation compared to women, while individuals with academic education were more inclined to oppose Israel’s presence than those with lower education levels. The sample size consisted of 1,748 respondents, with a participation rate of 46.8%. All participants were selected randomly.
Iceland Likely to Support Israel’s Exclusion
Iceland is among the countries expected to support Israel’s exclusion from the contest. Stefán Jón Hafstein, chairman of the RÚV broadcasting council, publicly called for Israel’s immediate removal from Eurovision in an article published by the Icelandic news outlet Vísir.
In the coming days, Nordic national broadcasters’ executives are expected to meet in Reykjavík, Iceland’s capital, for a closed and high-stakes discussion attended by a EBU representative. The envoy was dispatched to assess the sentiment among Nordic countries, though many appear to have already formed their positions.
RÚV is set to hold a board meeting at the end of October to officially decide how it will vote in the upcoming decisive EBU vote in November concerning Israel’s exclusion from the competition.
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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Maor Heumann has been writing about the Eurovision Song Contest and following it for over three decades. He has attended five contests and has found something to appreciate in almost every possible musical genre — from the sugary pop entries that finish last in the semi-finals to the quirky avant-garde pieces that even the competition’s juries struggled to connect with. He usually prefers original languages and songs with depth over Swedish-produced English clones — though he doesn’t promise to stick to that rule.
He grew up on the kibbutz of Sara’le Sharon, who instilled in him a love for music and created his first connection to the contest back in 1993 — before most of the current editorial team was even born.
