Eurovision: Navigating the Crisis of Boycotts and Division

Sat Dec 06 2025 04:45:49 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

The Eurovision Song Contest faces unprecedented challenges as four countries withdraw in protest of Israel's participation, igniting debates about politics and artistic expression.

The Eurovision Song Contest is grappling with its most significant crisis to date, following the withdrawal of four countries, including Ireland and the Netherlands, over Israel's continued participation amid ongoing political tensions. This situation reflects a broader rift within the Eurovision community and raises questions about the future of the contest as it approaches its 70th anniversary. Voices within the industry suggest that upcoming weeks will be crucial in determining whether more countries will join the boycott and how to reconcile these divisions.

Thursday marked the biggest crisis in the history of the Eurovision Song Contest.

Four countries pulled out over Israel's continued participation in the competition, and more may follow. The boycott includes Ireland, which has won seven times - a tally matched only by Sweden - and five-time winner the Netherlands. Spain, one of the contest's biggest financial backers, and Slovenia, are also out.

The row exposes a deep rift within the Eurovision family. And it's a situation that's been looming for years, amid festering tension over Israel's conduct during the war in Gaza.

There has also been consternation over the voting and campaigning processes after Israel came top of the public vote this year - finishing second overall after the jury votes were taken into account.

Israel, meanwhile, called the decision to keep it in the contest a victory over critics who had tried to silence it and spread hatred.

Thursday's summit with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) brought the divisions within the Eurovision family to the fore.

There was no direct vote on Israel's place in Eurovision, but the country's future participation was effectively tied to a ballot among broadcasters about proposed new rules for campaigning and public voting.

Sixty-five percent of members of the EBU voted in favour of that change. Ten percent abstained.

Roland Weissmann, director general of ORF, the public broadcaster in Austria, next year's host country, said there were heated discussions, but that it was a fair process.

We argued, and we listened to the arguments of the others, and after that we made a secret vote, he told the BBC World Service. That's democracy, and the majority voted for new, stronger rules by the song contest.

The result also meant Israel was cleared to compete - but sparked others to withdraw.

According to Spain, the crisis was avoidable. This point should never have been reached, said the president of broadcaster RTVE in an angry social media post ahead of Thursday's summit.

Other countries who could join the boycott include Iceland, which said it would not confirm its participation until a meeting of its board next week. On Friday, Belgium and Sweden, which had been among those also considering their positions, confirmed they would stay in the contest.

The impact on funding will be a key question for organisers. Spain was one of the big five countries who automatically qualify for the final, due to the size of their financial contribution to the staging of the contest.

That all means the competition is severely wounded, but the injuries aren't fatal... yet. As the situation develops, the task remains to unite the contest under its original mission - performance and shared musical expression.