Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on September 20, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleAustria's foreign minister urges countries to avoid boycotting Eurovision 2026 over Israel's participation, emphasizing unity and dialogue.
ZURICH (Reuters) -Austria's foreign minister has appealed to countries not to boycott next year's Eurovision Song Contest - due to be held in Vienna - over Israel's participation and concerns about the war in Gaza.
Spanish state broadcaster RTVE's board voted on Tuesday to withdraw from the 2026 event if Israel takes part, becoming the fifth country to make such a pledge.
The Netherlands, Slovenia, Iceland and Ireland have made similar pledges, while Belgian broadcaster VRT has said it supports their stance.
Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger wrote to colleagues in the six countries on Friday, saying she was concerned about boycotts creating division and not improving the situation in Gaza.
"As foreign minister of the host country, I am deeply concerned about the risk of a rift between the members of the European Broadcasting Union on this issue," she wrote in the letter that has been seen by Reuters.
"Such a rift would only deepen the discord and preclude opportunities for important dialogue between artists and the public – without improving the situation on the ground in Israel and Gaza," Meinl-Reisinger added.
Although conflict and humanitarian suffering could not be ignored, Eurovision was not a suitable arena for sanctions, she wrote.
"Excluding Israel from the Eurovision Song Contest or boycotting the event would neither alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza nor contribute to a sustainable political solution," Meinl-Reisinger wrote.
Eurovision, which stresses its political neutrality, has faced controversy this year linked to the war in Gaza.
Several countries urged the European Broadcasting Union, an alliance of public broadcasters that organises and co-produces the annual event, to exclude Israel from the 2025 edition. Israeli contestant Yuval Raphael ended up finishing second.
Austrian singer JJ, who won this year, has also called for Israel's exclusion in 2026.
(Reporting by John RevillEditing by Mark Potter)
Austria's foreign minister has appealed to countries not to boycott the Eurovision Song Contest due to Israel's participation, emphasizing the importance of unity and dialogue.
Countries such as Spain, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Iceland, and Ireland have pledged to withdraw from the Eurovision Song Contest if Israel takes part.
Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger expressed concern that boycotts could create division among European Broadcasting Union members and fail to improve the situation in Gaza.
Eurovision emphasizes its political neutrality and has faced controversy related to the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Austrian singer JJ, who won this year, has called for Israel's exclusion from the Eurovision Song Contest in 2026.
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