Three of the seven members of the board of directors of Italy’s broadcaster RAI published a note in which they urge the broadcaster not to take part in Eurovision 2026 if Israel remains a participant. This comes after several other broadcasters have either threatened to boycott or withheld any decision on taking part until the matter of Israel’s participation is resolved.
A call to action after a day of demonstrations in Italy
The note came a day after a large series of protests took place in several Italian cities in support of Palestine and of a peaceful resolution of the situation in Gaza, as several Western countries have started to recognise the State of Palestine at the current session of the UN General Assembly in New-York City. Italy is not among these countries, which is one of the reasons behind the timing of these demonstrations, which gathered hundreds of thousands of participants. Employees of the public service also took part in striking action, disrupting the programming of the broadcaster.
It is cosigned by three members of Rai’s board: Alessandro di Majo, Davide Di Pietro and Roberto Natale.
Even the Rai should reckon the wave of solidarity for Palestine which spread across Italy yesterday, leading hundreds of thousands of people to the streets and also finding support among many employees of the public service.
Alessandro di Majo, Davide Di Pietro and Roberto Natale, 23/09/2025
The statement then goes on to mention that “five other broadcasters” have recently announced that they would withdraw should Israel takes part. The actual number is closer to four, or six, tough.
In the past few weeks, RTV SLO from Slovenia, RTÉ from Ireland, AVROTROS from The Netherlands and RTVE from Spain have clearly stated that they would boycott, while RÚV from Iceland and RTBF from Belgium said they would wait until December to take a decision. That is when the EBU General Assembly may take a final decision on Israel’s participation, should no decision be taken earlier.
In the past few weeks, five public broadcasters have already decided that they will not participate if Israel takes part in the event.
Alessandro di Majo, Davide Di Pietro and Roberto Natale, 23/09/2025
We ask that Italy do the same, thus giving a concrete sign of solidarity to a people subjected to extermination.
Eurovision has always been an international event based on values of peace, inclusion, respect and brotherhood between peoples. However, the participation of countries engaged in grave violations of human rights threaten to deeply undermine its meaning and credibility: let’s remember that for these reasons, in recent years, the EBU decided to exclude Belarus at first, and then (after the invasion of Ukraine), Russia.
The note also mentions the exclusion of Belarus and Russia, as examples of countries in violation of human rights being expelled from the contest.
It must be clarified, however, that Belarus was not excluded directly for these reasons, but because their 2021 proposed entry was clearly a political statement against the democratic protests held in the country around its dubiously-ruled presidential election. Thus, Belarus was first and foremost disqualified for politicising the contest, and potentially bringing it into disrepute.
As for Russia, the EBU expelled it from Eurovision in 2022 after a wave of broadcasters from across Europe threatened to withdraw. Indeed, the EBU had first confirmed Russia would be allowed to participate, on the first day of the invasion. In the end, the official justification was that Russia’s participation would bring the contest into disrepute, an argument some believe could also fit the situation of Israel.
Afterwards, the broadcasters from both countries were expelled from the EBU as a whole after failing to remain independent in their coverage of the events, and are thus not eligible to take part in Eurovision events.
The note concluded with an appeal to Italy’s values and history in order to guide its decision on the matter, and opens the idea of accepting Israel’s participation should the war in Gaza end.
In these conditions, the presence of Italy, with no form of dissent or symbolic gesture, could be interpreted as a silent legitimization of what is currently happening.
Alessandro di Majo, Davide Di Pietro and Roberto Natale, 23/09/2025
We believe instead that Italy, a founding member of the European Union and historically engaged in the promotion of peace, must adopt a position that is consistent with its constitutional values and with the feeling of so many of its own citizens. Announcing this choice now is an additional means of putting pressure on Israel, to make it understand its international isolation and to push it to stop the massacre. Perhaps in time to return on the stage in Vienna.
The call to constitutional values references the “usual” values of human rights found in most democratic constitutions throughout the world, but is also probably a call to its Article 11, which states that “Italy repudiates war as an instrument of aggression against the liberty of other peoples, and as a means of settling international disputes”, a concept that was even celebrated in the Sanremo Festival a few years ago.
Almost half of the board of directors
Rai’s board of directors is composed of seven members, one of which is then appointed CEO of the broadcaster:
- two appointed by the House of Deputies (the lower House)
- two appointed by the Senate (the upper House)
- two appointed by the Council of Ministers (the Government/cabinet)
- one elected by the employees’ assembly of Rai
Di Majo was a Senate appointment, and Natale a House one, while Di Pietro was elected by the representatives of Rai’s employees. Together, they make up almost half of the seven members.
Although the note is not an official decision, it is strong sign that there is support for a boycott within the broadcaster, and that only one voice may be enough to make Italy the second country of the Big Five to threaten a withdrawal, which would put an even stronger pressure on the EBU to expel Israel from the contest.
How do you feel about these evolutions in Italy? Do you think Rai will join RTVE, RTÉ and other broadcasters in conditioning its participation to Israel’s departure? Tell us more in the comments below!
And be sure to stay updated by following @ESCXTRA on Twitter, @escxtra.bsky.social on Bluesky, @escxtra on Instagram, @escxtra on TikTok and liking our Facebook page for the latest updates! Also, be sure to follow us on Spotify for the latest music from your favourite Eurovision acts. As well as YouTube to see interviews and reactions to the latest Eurovision news.
