Iceland to join boycott of Eurovision in protest at Israel’s involvement

Iceland joins 4 different nations successful a boycott, aft the organiser declined to clasp a ballot implicit Israel’s involvement.

Iceland volition not instrumentality portion successful adjacent year’s Eurovision Song Contest, the country’s nationalist broadcaster has said, joining 4 different countries boycotting the lawsuit implicit Israel’s inclusion.

Broadcaster RUV said connected Wednesday that the Nordic federation would not enactment successful the 2026 competition, aft organiser the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) greenlit Israel’s engagement past week, dismissing calls from immoderate countries to clasp a ballot connected whether to exclude the country.

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“It is wide from the nationalist statement successful this state and the absorption to the EBU’s determination past week that determination volition beryllium neither joyousness nor bid regarding RUV’s participation,” the broadcaster’s manager wide Stefan Eiriksson said successful a statement.

Iceland, on with Ireland, Spain, Slovenia and the Netherlands, had threatened to boycott adjacent year’s variation of the glitzy euphony contest, owed to beryllium held successful Vienna successful May, if Israel took part, citing its genocidal warfare connected Palestinians successful Gaza – arsenic good arsenic allegations that it unfairly intervened successful the astir caller contention to the payment of its entrant.

The contented was initially supposed to beryllium resolved with a ballot successful November.

But connected Thursday, the EBU said determination would beryllium nary ballot connected Israel’s participation, and that it would alternatively present caller rules “to reenforce spot and support [the] neutrality” of the contention that would discourage governments from influencing the outcome.

That prompted Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain to swiftly denote they would boycott the competition, with Irish broadcaster RTE citing “the appalling nonaccomplishment of lives successful Gaza and humanitarian crisis”, and Slovenia’s nationalist broadcaster saying it was “on behalf of the 20,000 children who died” successful Israel’s genocidal warfare connected Palestinian radical successful the territory.

By contrast, Germany – a vocal protagonist of Israel successful Europe – had said it would boycott the lawsuit if Israel were barred.

The Eurovision Song Contest dates backmost to 1956 and reaches astir 160 cardinal viewers, according to the EBU.