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Thursday, December 11, 2025
Image: Quejaytee.
This Thursday, Iceland withdrew from the Eurovision Song Contest 2026, joining Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, and Slovenia. All countries backed out of the contest due to European Broadcasting Union confirming Israel’s participation in the 2026 edition.
After four countries withdrew from the 2026 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, Iceland’s broadcaster, RÚV, planned a board meeting last Wednesday to consider the country’s participation in the contest. The broadcaster decided not to participate in the 2026 edition of the contest, also requesting for the European Broadcasting Union to remove Israel, too. The broadcaster cited the conduct of Israel in the Gaza war.
“Given the public debate in this country and the reactions to the decision of the EBU that was taken last week, it is clear that neither joy nor peace will prevail regarding the participation of RÚV in Eurovision,” RÚV said in a statement. In addition, RÚV stated that Israel’s participation “created disunity among both members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the general public.”
Instead, European Broadcasting Union officials decided to implement voting changes to tackle irregular voting in previous events. Yet, organizers added that a vote on Israel’s participation was unnecessary, as seven countries, including Iceland, requested a vote for Israel’s participation.
