Spain announces withdrawal from Eurovision if Israel takes part
RTVE had called on the European Broadcasting Union to debate Israel’s participation, in a letter sent last April
MADRID – Spain’s public broadcaster RTVE announced on Tuesday it will withdraw from the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest if Israel is allowed to participate, escalating Madrid’s dispute with Tel Aviv over the war in Gaza.
The RTVE board appointed by parliament and the senate, backed the decision after pressure from Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun, who argued that cultural platforms should not “normalise the genocide”.
The 15-member board includes 11 appointees from the Socialist-led Congress and four from the opposition-controlled Senate. RTVE had already called on the European Broadcasting Union to debate Israel’s participation, in a letter sent last April.
Spain joins Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands and Slovenia, which have pledged to boycott next year’s contest in Vienna unless Israel is excluded.
This announcement follows comments made on Monday by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, when he called for Israel to be banned from international sporting events, to the same extent as Russia, for as long as the Israeli military offensive on the Gaza Strip continues.
“Israel cannot use any international platform to, in short, whitewash its presence while the barbarity continues,” said the Spanish prime minister.
Madrid has been the focus of attention in recent days after thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators boycotted La Vuelta cycling race throughout Spain, due to the participation of an Israeli team in the competition. Protests escalated, sparking clashes with the police, forcing local authorities to cancel the final stage of the tournament in the Spanish capital over security concerns, which resulted in two arrests and 22 police officers injured.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar accused Sánchez of antisemitism and claimed the Spanish premier and “his communist ministers” were encouraging violence. Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares responded by summoning Israel’s chargé d’affaires in Madrid for the second time in recent weeks.
(cs)
