Israel is in the Middle East, so why are they in the Eurovision contest in the first place? That has never made any sense to me. But the 2026 boycott is understandable in light of how Russia has been excluded for its invasion of Ukraine while Israel hasn’t been excluded for a) invading Syria, b) invading Gaza, c) invading Lebanon, and d) attacking Iran.
Public broadcasters in Spain, Ireland and Slovenia have said they would not air the 70th anniversary Eurovision Song Contest, which begins on Tuesday in Austria and will culminate in Saturday’s grand finale, citing opposition to Israel’s participation. The three countries, along with the Netherlands and Iceland, withdrew on Monday from this year’s event in Vienna, leaving the contest facing the biggest boycott in its 70-year history…
The contest has faced accusations of double standards after banning Russia following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022. Moscow in turn accused organizers of favoring Western participants and promoting anti-Russian sentiment.
Eurovision is a Clown World freakshow and it’s of less than zero interest to me, but it’s a little hard to pretend that there isn’t a ridiculous double standard being applied here. I’ve just never understood why Israel competes in UEFA competitions; they’d probably have a better chance in just about any of the other football associations except CONMEBOL anyhow.