Along with Slovenia, Spain, Ireland and the Netherlands, Iceland has declared their intention to abstain from the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest.
Following the official confirmation of Israel’s participation in the competition last week, all five nations have withdrawn.
“There is no peace or joy connected to this contest as things stand now,” stated Stefan Eiriksson, Director-General of Iceland’s public broadcaster RÚV. Because of this, we are first and foremost taking a step back while things remain the same.”
Israel’s involvement, according to RÚV, “created disunity among both members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the general public.”
The decision was approved by the broadcaster’s board during a meeting on Wednesday, just hours before nations must decide whether to participate in the song contest’s upcoming 70th anniversary celebration in May. It was thought that Iceland was the last nation to make a decision.
Martin Green, the Director of Eurovision, said, “We respect the decision of all broadcasters who have chosen not to participate in next year’s Eurovision Song Contest and hope to welcome them back soon.”
The war in Gaza and worries about the voting and campaigning procedures, particularly claims that Israel’s government attempted to sway the public vote at this year’s event, have made Israel’s participation in Eurovision a growing source of friction.