Iceland is the latest to say “no thanks” to Eurovision in response to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) allowing Israel to take part in the event. Iceland was one of the countries that demanded a vote by the EBU regarding Israel. 

“There is no peace or joy connected to this contest as things stand now. On that basis, first and foremost, we are stepping back while the situation is as it is,” said the director general of Icelandic National Broadcasting Service (RÚV), Stefan Eiriksson, in an official statement.

It also added that Israel’s participation has “created disunity among both members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the general public,” as quoted by the BBC.

The growing boycott of Israel participating in the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest now includes Ireland, Spain, Slovenia, the Netherlands, and Iceland, reports “Rozrywka.”

Israeli public broadcaster KAN (a member of the EBU) also confirmed that it will participate in the 2026 contest in Vienna. 

Austria, as the organizer, appealed to these countries not to boycott the contest. Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger stated that Eurovision and the arts in general “are not appropriate areas for imposing sanctions.”

The Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS referred back to September 2025, when it reported to the EBU “serious humanitarian suffering in the Gaza Strip,” as well as “suppression of press freedom and political interference during the last edition of the contest,” which is “incompatible with the fundamental values” of AVROTROS. 

“Reliability, independence, and humanity are our compass,” the statement said. For this reason, the Netherlands will not participate in next year’s Eurovision Song Contest.

“This wasn’t an easy decision, as we didn’t make it overnight. The Eurovision Song Contest is incredibly valuable to us. Culture unites, but not at any cost. What has happened over the past year transcends our borders. Universal values ​​such as humanity and freedom of the press have been seriously violated and are non-negotiable.

Furthermore, last year’s political interference has shown that the independence and unifying nature of the Eurovision Song Contest are no longer self-evident. We choose the fundamental values ​​of AVROTROS, and as a public broadcaster, we have a duty to remain true to these values, even when this is complicated or difficult to accept,” commented Taco Zimmerman, Managing Director of AVROTROS, at the time.