Three countries have already announced their possible retirement if Israel remained in Eurovision. According to competition management, each member can freely choose to compete or not and their decision will be respected, after these boycott threats in the next edition of the most often television tele-warehouse.
Dutch radio and television avrotros announced Friday that they wanted to boycott song competition on Friday due to the war in Gaza, in addition to a list of countries that threaten to retire from the competition next year, scheduled for Vienna in Austria, victorious country this year.
On Thursday, Ireland, seven times winner in Eurovision, expressed her intention not to compete with Israel. In May, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez had already considered that Israel should be excluded from competition in the future.
“We understand the concerns and opinions (…) about the current conflict in the Middle East,” said competition director Martin Green, at AFP.
“The speakers have until mid -December to confirm their participation in next year’s edition in Vienna. It depends on each member to decide whether to participate in the competition and respect any decision of the speakers,” he added.
The competition is organized by the European Radio-Television Union (URU), the First World Alliance of Public Service Media, founded in 1950, in cooperation with its members in more than 35 countries.
An internal “dialogue”
During the last general assembly, the UU in July in London, its members “discussed” pressures “linked to politics and conflicts in the world, even in Gaza, and decided to launch an internal” dialogue “on this issue.
Recommendations are expected for the end of the year.
“We continue to consult all the members of the UU to collect their opinions on how to manage participation and geopolitical tensions,” confirmed Mr. Green on Friday.
The countries have already been excluded from Eurovision, such as Belarus in 2021 after the disputed re -election of President Alexandre Loukachenko. Russia spent a year later, after invading Ukraine.
“Serious violations of press freedom”
The Dutch Public Audiovisual Association AvroTroests said Friday that its “participation in Eurovision 2026 will not be possible while Israel remains within the Uuer (the European Radio-Television Union).”
On the contrary, “if the Uer decides not to admit to Israel, Avrotros will be happy to participate next year,” added the Dutch public audiovisual statement.
Avrotros justified his decision for the “serious violations of press freedom” committed by the Israelis in Gaza, according to their press release. It also accuses Israel of having committed a “interference proven during the last edition, involving the political instrumentalization of the event.”
The Israeli singer and survivor of the attack of October 7, Yuval Raphael, who interpreted that “New Day Will Rise” (a new day will rise) arrived second in the competition this year in Switzerland, carried by the public vote.
Source: BFM TV
