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Published 11:34 13 May 2026 BST
In protest over the war in Gaza, five countries have boycotted the 70th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, which began this week in Austria’s capital Vienna.
In spite of the boycotts over Israel’s participation, the annual international music pageant watched and adored by millions of viewers around the world started as planned.
This year, Israel is represented in Vienna by singer Noam Bettan, the performer of a pop song called Michelle.
However, five countries: Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain and Iceland, are boycotting this year’s contest due to Israel’s participation.
They have cited Israel’s genocidal war on Palestinians in Gaza, in which tens of thousands have been killed, as the main reason for boycotting.
Israel's entry qualified for the Eurovision final, after Noam Bettan performed his song Michelle without incident during the first semi-final on Tuesday night.
At the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, the 28-year-old singer was given a mixed reception, as some of the audience shouted and booed during the quitter moments of the song.
Sky News reported that one protester had “Free Palestine” written on his chest in the crowd close to the stage, while at least one demonstrator was dragged away.
There were similar incidents last year, as during Israel’s performance at the 2025 Eurovision, two protesters unsuccessfully tried to storm the stage and throw paint during Yuval Raphael's song.
The answer to that is simple: the song contest, which began in 1956, is an annual event organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).
According to the Eurovision website, the contest is co-produced by EBU and its member broadcasters, “most notably the public broadcaster of the preceding winning country, the Host Broadcaster”.
The contest is not restricted to European nations, in spite of its name.
This means that all countries with broadcast operations located in Europe are eligible to take part.
The contest organisations can also make special invitations. For example, in 2015, EBU invited the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) of Australia to participate in the 60th edition of the contest.
Israel was the first non-European country to participate in Eurovision in 1973 and also hosted the event in Tel Aviv in 2019.
Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain, Iceland and Ireland said they would boycott the contest if Israel took part, in December of last year.
In addition to these countries, more than 1,000 musicians and cultural workers have signed an open letter calling for others to boycott the contest.
Since Russia was banned from participating due to the Ukraine war, they have also criticised the contest’s organisers of hypocrisy.
“The EBU’s hypocritical responses to Russia’s and Israel’s crimes have removed any illusion of Eurovision’s claimed ‘neutrality.’ In 2022, the EBU said that Russia’s presence would ‘bring the competition into disrepute’,” the letter stated.
The letter was organised by the campaign group No Music for Genocide and was signed by famous bands like Kneecap and musicians including Roger Waters, Paul Weller, Paloma Faith, Macklemore and former Eurovision winners such as Emmelie de Forest and Charlie McGettigan.
Meanwhile, Amnesty International’s Secretary-General Agnes Callamard said ahead of the semi-finals: “The failure of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to suspend Israel from Eurovision, as it did with Russia, is an act of cowardice and an illustration of blatant double standards when it comes to Israel.”
“Instead of sending a clear message that there is a cost for Israel’s atrocity crimes against the Palestinian people, the EBU has given Israel this international stage even as it continues to commit genocide in Gaza, unlawful occupation and apartheid,” she said.
The winner of 2024’s contest, Switzerland’s Nemo, also pledged to return the trophy in protest over Israel’s continued participation in the event.
“I no longer feel like this trophy belongs on my shelf,” Nemo said on Instagram last December.
Irish artist Charlie McGettigan, who won the 1994 Eurovision contest, said he also plans to return his winning trophy in solidarity.
Last December, Germany, a major Eurovision backer, said it would not take part if Israel was barred.
“Israel belongs in the Eurovision Song Contest,” said German Commissioner for Culture and the Media Wolfram Weimer.
Then, on April 15 this year, a pro-Israel, non-profit initiative called “Creative Community for Peace” published an open letter supporting Israel’s participation.
This letter was signed by more than 1,000 members of the global entertainment industry, including actors Amy Schumer, Mila Kunis and Jerry O’Connell.
“We have been shocked and disappointed to see some members of the entertainment community calling for Israel to be banished from the Contest for responding to the greatest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust,” the letter read.
The organiser of the song contest, The European Broadcasting Union, has come under increasing pressure to exclude Israel from the competition since Israel’s genocide in Gaza began in 2023.
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