The Netherlands, Spain, and Ireland have withdrawn from next year's Eurovision Song Contest due to Israel's participation. This is reported by UNN with reference to BBC and Reuters.
Israel will be able to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 after members of the European Broadcasting Union decided on Thursday not to hold a vote on its participation, despite threats of boycott from some countries.
According to sources, participants overwhelmingly supported new rules aimed at preventing governments and third parties from disproportionately promoting songs to influence voters, following accusations that Israel unfairly supported its contestant this year.
The BBC reports that Ireland, Spain, and the Netherlands will boycott the next Eurovision Song Contest after Israel was allowed to participate.
They were among a number of countries that called for Israel's exclusion due to the humanitarian toll of the war in Gaza and accusations of unfair voting practices. Despite calls for a vote on Israel's participation, members instead approved a new set of rules aimed at protecting the integrity of the contest.
It is noted that the Dutch broadcaster Avrotros stated that "participation under the current circumstances is incompatible with the public values that are important to us."
Other broadcasters, including Slovenia and Iceland, are also expected to withdraw from the competition.
Recall
The names of the nine finalists of the National Selection for Eurovision 2026 have been announced. Among the longlist participants who did not make it to the list of finalists based on the results of two days of auditions, a rating online vote will be held in the Diia mobile application in January.