Iceland has officially declared its decision to boycott this year’s Eurovision Song Contest in response to Israel’s participation.

This announcement comes on the heels of the European Broadcasting Union’s (EBU) decision last week to allow Israel to compete, which has sparked significant controversy. As a result, Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain, and Slovenia have already opted out of the event.

Speculation is mounting that more countries may follow suit, with Belgium’s national broadcaster indicating that it will make a decision on its stance in the coming days.

The movement to boycott the 69-year-old contest gained momentum earlier this month. This followed discussions at an EBU general assembly in Geneva, where members voted on proposed changes to the competition’s rules.

Among the adjustments were measures aimed at preventing countries from orchestrating campaigns to boost votes for their entries. This initiative comes in light of concerns about the public voting process, particularly regarding the significant number of votes Israel received in 2025.

Last May, Israeli singer Yuval Raphael garnered the most public votes, ultimately securing the runner-up position after the jury’s votes were tallied.

According to the BBC, which attended the summit, agreeing to the rule changes meant agreeing not to proceed with a vote on whether Israel could compete, with Swedish broadcaster SVT claiming that the vote was not specific to the participation of Israeli broadcaster KAN.

An SVT statement read: ‘All Nordic public service companies, NRK in Norway, YLE in Finland, DR in Denmark and RUV in Iceland voted yes to the proposals, which were supported by a majority of EBU members.’

After the 2025 competition, Irish broadcaster RTE requested a breakdown in voting numbers from the EBU while Spain’s public broadcaster, Radio Television Espanola (RTVE), called for a ‘complete review’ of the voting system to avoid ‘external interference’.

JJ, from Austria, stands on the stage with his trophy after winning the Grand Final of the 69th Eurovision Song Contest in Basel, Switzerland, May 18, 2025

Following the summit, the BBC said it supported the ‘collective decision’ in allowing Israel to participate at the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest as other countries launched a boycott.

A BBC spokesperson said: ‘This is about enforcing the rules of the EBU and being inclusive.’

Irish national broadcaster RTE said it will not broadcast or take part in the song contest, describing its participation as ‘unconscionable given the appalling loss of lives in Gaza’.

The RTE statement said: ‘RTE remains deeply concerned by the targeted killing of journalists in Gaza during the conflict and the continued denial of access to international journalists to the territory.’

The 2026 contest will be held in Vienna in May after a narrow victory by Austria’s JJ, with Wasted Love beating Israeli singer Raphael, who was named runner-up after receiving the largest number of votes from the public.

Dutch broadcaster Avrotros also announced that it would not broadcast the competition, saying it would be ‘incompatible with the public values that are essential to us’.

Taco Zimmerman, chief executive, said: ‘Universal values like humanity and a free press have been seriously violated and are non-negotiable for us…

‘We choose the core values of Avrotros and, as a public broadcaster, have the responsibility to remain true to these values, even when that is complicated or vulnerable.’

Israeli singer Yuval Raphael (pictured) received the largest number of votes from the public last May

A Palestinian flag is held up in the audience as Yuval Raphael from Israel performs the song ‘New Day Will Rise’ during the dress rehearsal for the Grand Final of the 69th Eurovision Song Contest, in Basel, Switzerland, Friday, May 16 2025

The Dutch public broadcasting organisation NPO will continue to ensure that next year’s Eurovision Song Contest will remain available for Dutch viewers and fans.

Slovenian broadcaster RTV said it was pulling out of the competition ‘on behalf of the 20,000 children who died in Gaza’.

In response to the decision to allow Israel to compete at next year’s Eurovision Song Contest, the country’s president Isaac Herzog wrote on X: ‘Israel deserves to be represented on every stage around the world, a cause to which I am fully and actively committed.’

The EBU confirmed that participating broadcasters will not have to pay more to take part in the 2026 song contest as a result of the withdrawals.