RTVE skipped broadcasting the Eurovision 2026 Grand Final and aired a political message criticizing Israel during the live event.
Yesterday marked the end of the Eurovision 2026 season with an emotional and dramatic Grand Final, culminating in DARA being crowned the winner for Bulgaria with her song “Bangaranga“. Noam Bettan finished immediately behind her, securing the second place for Israel.
Throughout the tense Eurovision season, which reached its climax during last night’s final, several voices refused to embrace the spirit of the competition and instead chose to boycott it. One of the leading critics throughout the season was Spain, which once again delivered an anti-Israel message during the Grand Final while the show was broadcast across the rest of Europe.
“There Is No Room for Indifference”
During the broadcast of the Eurovision 2026 Grand Final last night, the Spanish national broadcaster RTVE decided not to air the event itself and instead displayed another political message on screen:
“Eurovision is a competition, but human rights are not. There is no room for indifference. Peace and justice for Palestine.”
The move came despite Eurovision’s strong popularity in Spain, where millions of viewers follow the contest every year. In recent years, Spanish viewers have also consistently ranked the Israeli entries among their favorites.
Spanish Voting Support for Israel
Earlier this month, leaked public voting data from Eurovision 2025 revealed unprecedented support for Israel from the Spanish audience. According to the leaked figures, roughly one-third of the Spanish televote went to Yuval Raphael and the Israeli entry.
The contrast between the Spanish public’s voting patterns and RTVE’s increasingly critical stance toward Israel has continued to generate discussion among Eurovision fans throughout the 2026 season.
Politics and Boycotts: The Spanish Senate Investigation
As a reminder, the Spanish national broadcaster RTVE announced last December its complete withdrawal from Eurovision 2026 and even declared that it would not broadcast the contest at all, in protest against the refusal of the EBU to disqualify Israel. This extreme move is not isolated from the internal political context: the Spanish government, led by Pedro Sánchez, relies on a coalition with far-left parties and leads a harsh diplomatic line against Israel.
This conduct by the national broadcaster recently led to the establishment of an investigation committee in the Spanish Senate, intended to examine the politicization and government involvement in the decision to boycott the competition. Curiously, while the Senate investigates the biases of the national broadcaster, the EBU chose to back RTVE and expressed “deep concern” regarding the investigation, claiming a violation of broadcasting independence. Currently, it appears that political struggles and hypocrisy are not only harming the Spanish audience but are directly damaging the European production budget and placing a heavier burden on the rest of the participating nations.
Spain in Eurovision 2025
“Esa Diva” (in English: “That Diva”) is the title of the song performed by singer Melody, who represented Spain at Eurovision 2025 in Basel, Switzerland.
Spain finished 24th with 37 points – 27 points from the juries, placing 21st, and only 10 points from the televotes, placing 22nd. In the last 20 years, Spain managed to finish only 3 times in the top 10.
Eurovision 2025: This was Spain’s 65th participation in Eurovision. Spain joined the competition in 1961 and won it twice consecutively in 1968 and 1969. Spain has hosted the contest on its territory only once in 1969 and since then holds the longest waiting time since its last victory – 56 years.
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +972 50-9441919
Ido Na’aman is a journalist, content creator, and commentator specializing in the Eurovision Song Contest. His extensive knowledge and in-depth familiarity with the Eurovision world are reflected in every article, ensuring reliable, professional, and up-to-date content.
