Spain may quit Eurovision 2026 because of Israel’s participation, with a decision expected by December. Following a similar decision by Slovenia, Spain’s culture minister told the public broadcaster:
I don’t think we can normalize Israel’s participation in international events as if nothing is happening. Events like Eurovision or [cycling’s] Vuelta a España bring a certain representation of a country…. In Eurovision’s case, it is not an individual artist who participates but someone who participates on behalf of that country’s citizens.
Ernest Urtasun warned that “measures will be taken” if Israel joins Eurovision 2026, recalling how beleaguered Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez urged the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to ban Israel like it did Russia. He called Israel a “genocidal government” and said criticizing its actions in Gaza is not antisemitic.
RTVE will decide if Spain withdraws, while Slovenia may quit too. Over 70 former contestants and the most recent winner, Austrian Johannes Pietsch—a ‘queer sopranist’ with the stage name J.J.—want Israel banned.
The EBU will make a decision by December 2025.
