Israeli singer Yuval Raphael at this year's Eurovision red carpet launch

Irish broadcaster RTÉ has become the latest to say it will not return to Eurovision in 2026 if Israel remains part of the competition.

The involvement of Israel in Eurovision has long been a contentious subject because of the political situation in the Middle East, but the debate has become much more widespread in the last two years, leading many fans to boycott the event completely due to the country’s continued presence, while several participating broadcasters have raised concerns about the situation in recent history.

Over the summer, discussions took place among the competition’s participating broadcasters about whether Israel should remain part of the contest despite the ongoing conflict in Gaza, with the conversation due to be revisited in the coming months.

In the last week, Slovenia’s broadcaster has said it will only return to Eurovision in 2026 if Israel is banned, similarly to how

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