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Iceland will not take part in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest, the country’s public broadcaster, RUV, said on Wednesday, after the European Broadcasting Union last week cleared Israel’s participation.
The decision to allow Israel to take part in the next Eurovision, which will be held in Vienna in May, has prompted Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland and Slovenia to withdraw in protest, citing Israel’s conduct in its war against Hamas in Gaza. Germany and host nation Austria both support Israel’s participation, however.
“It is clear from the public debate in this country and the reaction to the EBU’s decision last week that there will be neither joy nor peace regarding RUV’s participation,” the broadcaster’s director general Stefan Eiriksson said in a statement.
Public broadcasters from at least four countries have pulled out of next year’s Eurovision Song Contest after organizers decided to allow Israel to compete. Eurovision expert Karen Fricker discusses the potential impact of the withdrawals.
Iceland was among the countries that had requested a vote last week on Israel’s participation. But the European Broadcasting Union, or EBU, decided not to call a vote on Israel’s participation, saying it had instead passed new rules aimed at discouraging governments from influencing the contest following accusations that Israel manipulated the vote in favour of its contestant.
Iceland has never won the song contest but came second in 1999 and 2009. The Eurovision Song Contest dates back to 1956 and reaches around 160 million viewers, according to the EBU.
