Iceland Threatens Eurovision 2027 Boycott Over Israel's Participation

Iceland's public broadcaster, RÚV, announced Wednesday that the country will not participate in the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest if Israel is permitted to compete. This decision extends a boycott initiated during the 2026 edition. Six of the nine members of RÚV's board voted to inform the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the contest's organizer, of their stance and reiterated calls for Israel's exclusion.

The move follows a similar boycott of Eurovision 2026 by Iceland, Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands, and Slovenia, protesting Israel's continued inclusion. Ireland has already declared it will not participate in or broadcast the 2027 contest, citing the human cost and humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The Dutch broadcaster Avrotros announced a comparable decision in August, with its director general, Taco Zimmerman, stating that international conflicts are increasingly impacting the contest and compromising its neutrality, turning Eurovision into a "platform for division."

While organizers have implemented rules preventing countries involved in armed conflicts from hosting the contest, Avrotros believes these measures are insufficient. The EBU rejected exclusion requests for Israel in 2026 after a member vote supported the participation of Israel's public broadcaster, Kan. Eurovision's director, Martin Green, previously stated in July that approximately 70% of members felt public broadcasters should not be held responsible for government actions and that Kan should be allowed to compete.

Despite boycott calls, Israel achieved second place in both the 2025 and 2026 contests. The 2027 contest is scheduled to be held in Bourgas, Bulgaria, following this year's victory by Bulgarian singer Dara in Vienna. The Eurovision Song Contest is watched by tens of millions of viewers annually.