Slovenia to air films about Palestine instead of Eurovision song contest

Coverage Comparison

The 2026 Eurovision Song Contest is facing multiple national boycotts over Israel's participation, with Slovenia, Ireland, and Spain declining to broadcast the event, according to reports from The Guardian and the Jerusalem Post. Slovenia's public broadcaster, RTV Slovenia, has announced it will air a film series about Palestine instead of the song contest, as confirmed by its director Ksenija Horvat to the Associated Press.

Spain's RTVE also confirmed it will not air Eurovision, marking the first time since Spain began participating in 1961 that the contest will be absent from Spanish television. Ireland's RTÉ announced its non-participation and non-broadcast decision last December.

Iceland and the Netherlands have also withdrawn from the competition but will broadcast the event on their national networks, according to multiple sources.

Key Claims

• Slovenia's alternative programming: RTV Slovenia will broadcast 'Voices of Palestine,' a series of Palestinian documentaries and feature films, instead of Eurovision. This was reported by both The Guardian and the Jerusalem Post, citing the broadcaster's director.
• Ireland and Spain's decisions: Both countries' public broadcasters will not air the contest, with Ireland deciding last December and Spain reiterating its choice last week. These claims are supported by multiple sources.
• Partial boycotts: Iceland and the Netherlands are boycotting but will still broadcast the event, as reported by The Guardian and the Jerusalem Post.
• EBU rules overhaul: The European Broadcasting Union has introduced new rules to prevent governments and third parties from promoting songs to influence voters, according to The Guardian.
• Russia's exclusion: Russia has been barred from Eurovision since 2022, as noted in The Guardian's report.
• Israel's Eurovision record: Israel has won the contest four times, most recently in 2018, per the Jerusalem Post. Ireland has won a record seven times, with its last victory in 1996, a claim carried by a single outlet.
• Spain's funding withdrawal: Spain's RTVE has withdrawn its share of funding for the Eurovision broadcast, as reported by the Jerusalem Post.
• 2025 contest results: Israel's Yuval Raphael came in second overall and first in the televoting in 2025, according to a single source.

Perspectives

The boycotting countries frame their decisions as a response to the EBU's refusal to exclude Israel despite criticisms of its conduct in the war in Gaza. Slovenia's premier, Robert Golob, has been a vocal critic of Israel's policies, and his government has previously banned imports from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. Spanish officials stated that the contest's mission of neutrality had become 'impossible to maintain' under current circumstances, describing the event's climate as one of political distrust, as quoted by the online outlet Eurovision Fun.

Supporters of Israel's participation argue that the contest should remain apolitical, with the EBU emphasizing that Eurovision is a competition among public broadcasters rather than countries. The EBU's new rules aim to prevent governments and third parties from influencing votes, a move that some see as an attempt to preserve the contest's integrity.

Historical Context

Political boycotts of Eurovision are not unprecedented. In the past, Armenia, Greece, Turkey, Georgia, and Austria have boycotted for political reasons; Austria notably abstained in 1969 when the contest was held in Spain under Franco's dictatorship. However, in most previous cases, the boycotting country's broadcaster still aired the event. Spain's decision to both boycott and withhold funding marks the first time a 'big five' country has taken such a step.

The 2026 contest, marking Eurovision's 70th anniversary, will feature 35 competing countries and is scheduled for May 12–16 in Vienna, Austria.