Spain and the Netherlands withdraw from Eurovision over Israel's non-exclusion

2025-12-04 18:50:01Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

Spain and the Netherlands withdraw from Eurovision over Israel's

Spain and the Netherlands will boycott next year's Eurovision Song Contest after Israel was allowed to compete.

They were among a number of countries that had called for Israel's exclusion due to the humanitarian toll of the war in Gaza and allegations of unfair voting practices.

Despite calls for a vote on Israel's participation, members instead adopted a set of new rules aimed at protecting the integrity of the competition.

In a statement, Dutch broadcaster Avrotros said that "participation in the current circumstances is incompatible with the public values ​​that are essential to us."

Spanish broadcaster RTVE added: "The RTVE board of directors agreed last September that Spain would withdraw from Eurovision if Israel were to be part of it."

"This withdrawal also means that RTVE will not broadcast the Eurovision 2026 final... nor the preliminary semi-finals."

Other broadcasters, including Ireland, Slovenia and Iceland, are also expected to withdraw from the competition.


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