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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Lauren Del Fabbro

Eurovision 2026 storm: BBC backs Israel participation as countries boycott event

Israel Eurovision Isaac Herzog RTE EBU Ireland Slovenia Gaza Spain The Netherlands

The BBC has issued a statement saying it backs the “collective decision” to allow Israel to participate at the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest - as some countries launched a boycott plunging the event into crisis.

Ireland, The Netherlands, Spain and Slovenia announced they were pulling out of the singing competition following the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) general assembly in Geneva on Thursday, which discussed the future of the competition.

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