RTÉ the national broadcaster of Ireland has issued a public statement on its Eurovision 2026 participation. A final decision “will be made once the EBU’s decision” on Israel’s participation is made. Like several other broadcasters, RTÉ say they are ready to withdraw if Israel takes part.
Ireland not to take part if Israel is present
The statement was published by RTÉ earlier today, and goes as follows:
At the General Assembly of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) in July, a number of EBU members raised concerns about the participation of Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest.
sTATEMENT FROM rté ON eUROVISION PARTICIPATION
RTÉ wishes to thank the EBU for the extensive consultation process that was initiated on foot of that meeting, and the extension of the option to withdraw from participation without penalty to December.
It is RTÉ’s position that Ireland will not take part in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest if the participation of Israel goes ahead, and the final decision regarding Ireland’s participation will be made once the EBU’s decision is made.
RTÉ feels that Ireland’s participation would be unconscionable given the ongoing and appalling loss of lives in Gaza. RTÉ is also deeply concerned by the targeted killing of journalists in Gaza, and the denial of access to international journalists to the territory, and the plight of the remaining hostages.
The statement references the “structured and in-depth dialogue” held between the EBU and its members after the EBU General Assembly in July, regarding topics such as Israel’s participation and potential reforms in the voting system. As part of this dialogue, the EBU has extended the deadline to confirm participation to December: this deadline allows countries to withdraw without financial penalties, which are normally imposed on late withdrawals like those of Ukraine in 2019 or Moldova in 2025.
RTÉ makes it clear that they will not participate if Israel does. This would mark the third absence from Ireland since its debut in 1965, after a withdrawal due to industrial action in 1983 and a relegation in 2002.
Up to four broadcasters ready to withdraw
Other broadcasters have been vocal on the topic of Israel’s participation, to various degrees.
In Slovenia, RTV SLO has stated that they will not go either if Israel takes part, with Director Ksenija Horvat believing that Slovenia “will not be able to go to the Eurovision Song Contest”, implying that she believed the Middle Eastern country would participate anyway.
In Iceland, broadcaster RÚV has been less clear but has stated that their decision regarding Eurovision participation will depend on the outcome of the discussions with the EBU. In an interview, Director General Stefán Eiríksson did not hide his serious doubts on whether changes would take place after these discussions.
As for Spain, while RTVE itself has not yet published any statement on a potential withdrawal, and has started to prepare for Benidorm Festival (which will be directed by Sergio Jaén, the acclaimed director of Ireland 2024 and Austria 2025), the Spanish Minister for Culture has said that Spain would withdraw from the competition if Israel takes part. Considering the independence of public broadcasting, it is not certain whether RTVE would follow up on this, but they have been among the most vocal broadcasters in the aftermath of the 2025 contest, asking for an audit of their televote.
The discussions mentioned by these broadcasters surround both Israel’s participation and the voting processes, which have been criticized by these four, along with others such as VRT from Belgium, NRK from Norway, or YLE from Finland.
If Israel takes part and all four do withdraw, the contest would take part with 33 or 34 participants (depending on Moldova’s return), which would be the lowest number since the introduction of a semi-final, in 2004, when 34 countries took part.
Do you agree with RTÉ? Should Ireland withdraw if Israel takes part? If you’re from neither country, would you want your country to withdraw in such a situation? Let us know!
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