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Slovenia, Spain and Ireland won't air Eurovision over Israel's participation

The three European countries are boycotting the popular song contest over Israel's participation in it. More countries have said they won't be taking part. The public broadcasters of three European countries, Spain , Ireland and Slovenia , on Monday, announced that they would  boycott the 70th Eurovision Song Contest by not airing it. The song contest has been at the center of controversy with several countries calling on Eurovision's organizers to exclude Israel following the Gaza war . Spain, Ireland, Slovenia, Iceland and the Netherlands announced last year they were going to boycott the 2026 song contest over Israel's participation. Iceland and the Netherlands will broadcast the contest, that is set to run between Tuesday and Saturday, on television even though they aren't taking part. "Instead of the Eurovision circus, the national television program will be colored by the thematic program series 'Voices of Palestine,'" Slovenian broadcaster RTV said. Ireland's RTE will stream a Eurovision-themed episode of the popular 1990s Irish-made sitcom "Father Ted" during the final on Saturday. Spain, one of the competition's biggest financial donors, will run its own musical special, "The House of Music." To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video In 2022, Russia was banned from the contest for invading Ukraine. That year, Ukraine's entry drew mixed reviews but won. In 2025, Israel finished in second place, but this was followed by accusations that the Israeli government had manipulated the popular vote, especially due to the fact that Israel won the popular vote in countries with high pro-Palestinian sentiments. The contest's organizers played down the allegations and withdrew a proposed vote on allowing Israel's participation amid pressure from Israeli allies in Europe. The organizers also reduced the number of times an individual can vote from 20 to 10. The winner of the song contest is chosen by a combination of a panel of music professionals and a popular vote. The song contest is organized by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) every year in May. Every member of the EBU sends a musical act to represent the country. The EBU was born in post-war Europe in 1957. It has grown over the course of the years, with Israel joining the association of public broadcasters in 1973 and Australia in 2015.  Despite its controversies, the contest remains highly popular, attracting some 160 million viewers on television. Eurovision is particularly well-known for its over-the-top performances, with smoke machines and glittery costumes giving it the cultural edge beloved by many. Edited by: Alex Berry