After five countries quit Eurovision over Israel, over 1,000 entertainment figures push back

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Over 1,000 entertainment industry leaders sign letter backing Israel’s inclusion in Eurovision, rejecting boycott efforts and emphasizing music’s unifying power.

More than one thousand leading entertainment industry figures have signed an open letter by the non-profit organization Creative Community for Peace (CCFP) to support Israel’s continued inclusion in the Eurovision Song Contest.

Israel has taken part in Eurovision since 1973 and has won four times, but in the past year, following Israeli contestant Yuval Raphael’s second-place finish in 2025, calls for Israel’s exclusion have been growing louder.

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) declined to put the question of excluding Israel to a vote in its meeting in December, and five countries – Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Spain – announced that they were withdrawing from the 2026 Eurovision contest in Vienna in 2026 in response to the fact that Israel will take part as usual.Some countries alleged that Israel broke the rules in 2025 that led to Raphael winning the audience vote. The EBU investigated and found no wrongdoing, but instituted rule changes in response to criticism of Israel from some of the participating countries.

The initial letter by the CCFP was issued in response to the campaigns calling on the EBU to exclude Israel from the event and urging participating countries and artists to withdraw if Israel takes part.

Cover photo: The Eurovision Song Contest 2026 logo, on the day of a press conference in front of the Stadthalle, in Vienna, Austria, April 9, 2026. (credit: REUTERS/LISA LEUTNER)

After five countries quit Eurovision over Israel, over 1,000 entertainment figures push back

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