by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief
BURGAS/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Organizers were weighing their options after Ireland joined the Netherlands in boycotting the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest over Israel’s participation, deepening divisions surrounding one of the world’s most watched music events, which attracted about 131 million television viewers last year.
Ireland’s public broadcaster RTÉ said it would neither participate in nor broadcast next year’s contest in the Bulgarian Black Sea city of Burgas, marking the second consecutive year that Ireland will stay away.
“RTÉ feels that Ireland’s participation cannot be justified given the appalling and ongoing loss of lives in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there which continues to put the lives of so many civilians at risk,” the broadcaster said.
RTÉ also expressed concern about what it called the continued denial of independent access to Gaza for international journalists.
Ireland was among five countries—along with the Netherlands, Iceland, Slovenia and Spain—that boycotted the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna over Israel’s participation amid the war in Gaza.
EUROVISION DIVISIONS
The Netherlands has also confirmed it will stay away from Eurovision in 2027. Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS said changes introduced by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organizes the contest, had not gone far enough to address its concerns.
AVROTROS has argued that Eurovision can “no longer be considered neutral” as international conflicts increasingly affect the competition.
Eurovision organizers have sought to respond to the controversy. Among recent changes, broadcasters representing countries involved in an armed conflict or what the EBU calls a “sensitive geopolitical situation” will no longer be eligible to host the contest.
Eurovision Song Contest director Martin Green said the EBU regretted RTÉ’s decision but respected it. He described the Irish broadcaster as a valued member of the Eurovision community and said organizers hoped to welcome it back in the future.
Israel, which has faced mounting international criticism over its military operations in Gaza, finished second at Eurovision in both 2025 and 2026 despite intense protests surrounding its participation.
ISRAEL DEFENDS PARTICIPATION
Thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators protested outside the 2026 contest in Vienna, while similar demonstrations surrounded Israel’s participation in previous years. Israeli officials and Jewish organizations have argued that some of the hostility directed at Israeli performers and delegations went beyond criticism of the government and reflected antisemitism.
Israel has rejected efforts to exclude it from Eurovision and has disputed allegations that its participation or promotional campaigns improperly influenced voting. Israeli officials have maintained that the country should not be singled out over the Gaza war, which began after Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 others hostage.
More than 73,000 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, according to health authorities operating under the Hamas-run administration. The figures do not distinguish between civilians and combatants, and Hamas generally does not disclose how many of its fighters have been killed. Israel says many of those killed were Hamas militants, maintains that it takes extensive precautions to minimize civilian casualties, and rejects allegations that it deliberately targets civilians.
Ireland disagrees, but its latest decision to boycott Eurovision over Israel’s actions in Gaza drew no immediate public response from Israel’s Foreign Ministry.
The boycotts have coincided with a significant decline in Eurovision’s television audience, with the 2026 competition drawing about 35 million fewer viewers than the previous year.
MILLIONS WATCH CONTEST
Despite the decline, Eurovision remains among the world’s largest live televised music events. Since its launch in 1956, the competition has helped propel performers, including the Swedish group ABBA and the Canadian singer Céline Dion, to international fame.
Ireland has an especially prominent Eurovision history. It first entered the competition in 1965 and has won seven times, sharing the record for the most victories with Sweden.
Its most recent victory came in 1996, when Eimear Quinn won with “The Voice.” Ireland also remains the only country to have won Eurovision three consecutive times, from 1992 through 1994.
The 2027 contest is scheduled to culminate with the Grand Final on May 15 in Burgas, after Bulgarian singer DARA won the 2026 competition in Vienna with “Bangaranga,” securing Bulgaria’s first Eurovision victory.
The EBU has not yet announced the final list of countries participating in the 2027 contest.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
