Slovenia says will boycott Eurovision 2026 if ‘Israel’ participates
Slovenia's national broadcaster, RTV SLO, has issued an ultimatum regarding its participation in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest, stating it will "realistically" not take part if ‘Israel’ competes.
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During the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) General Assembly in London in July, RTV SLO publicly stated its position that it would not participate "due to the genocide in Gaza".
“At the EBU General Assembly, which was held in London at the beginning of July, RTV Slovenia presented its position that if Israel were to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest – due to the genocide in Gaza – it would not participate in the competition,” the RTVSLO’s communication department says in a statement.
The broadcaster argues that the contest represents not just public media organizations but the participating countries themselves, making it impossible to separate its involvement from the state it represents, referring to ‘Israel’s’ public broadcaster KAN.
Beyond the geopolitical issue, RTV SLO has also voiced longstanding institutional frustrations. The broadcaster has called for an "independent audit of the public vote" citing "obvious statistical irregularities" in recent contests and claims it has been "ignored" by the EBU on these matters.
According to RTV SLO Director Ksenija Horvat, a final decision on participation will be made no later than the adoption of its annual program plan for 2026, by which time the EBU's response should be clear.
In response to the growing pressure from RTV SLO and other broadcasters from nations including the Netherlands and Spain, the EBU has initiated a "structured and in-depth dialogue" to review the contest's rulebook.
A vote on any proposed rule amendments is set to take place at the EBU's General Assembly in December 2025, which will be a determinant of RTV SLO's final decision.
