Ireland boycotts Eurovision for second year over Gaza conflict

Ireland's national broadcaster announced Thursday that the country will sit out Eurovision for a second consecutive year, citing what it called the "appalling and ongoing loss of lives in Gaza" and the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding there. The decision places Ireland alongside the Netherlands, which made its own boycott announcement last month, in a widening protest against the song contest's continued inclusion of Israel as a competing nation.

This marks an escalation of a conflict that has shadowed the competition for years. Last year, five countries—Iceland, the Netherlands, Spain, Slovenia, and Ireland—refused to participate in the 2026 contest in protest of Israeli involvement. Now, with the 2027 competition set for Burgas on Bulgaria's Black Sea coast, at least two of those nations are doubling down. RTÉ, Ireland's state broadcaster, stated plainly that "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 Dutch public broadcaster Avrotros framed its own withdrawal in starker terms, describing Eurovision as no longer capable of being considered a neutral platform. The competition, Avrotros argued, "can no longer be considered neutral, with a participating country still involved in a large-scale military conflict." The European Broadcasting Union, which organizes the event, is now scrambling to find another Dutch broadcaster willing to step in, hoping to preserve the country's participation.

The underlying numbers give weight to the boycott's moral claim. Palestinian authorities report more than 73,000 deaths since Israel launched its military campaign in October 2023, following a Hamas-led attack that killed 1,200 people in southern Israel. Even after a US-brokered ceasefire took effect on October 11, 2025—a ceasefire meant to allow for eventual reconstruction—the violence has not stopped. According to Gaza's health ministry, 1,369 Palestinians have been killed and 4,627 wounded in the months since that supposed truce began.

Eurovision's leadership has attempted to address the political pressure. The EBU reduced the number of votes individual viewers could cast online or by telephone last year, responding to allegations that Israel had orchestrated a disproportionate public voting campaign. More substantially, last month the organization announced new rules: broadcasters from states involved in armed conflict or sensitive geopolitical situations would no longer be eligible to host the competition. The rule, however, does not bar such countries from competing—only from organizing the event.

Martin Green, Eurovision's director, said he respected RTÉ's decision while expressing regret. "They remain a valued part of our family and will be missed," he said, adding that the contest's power to unite people "is even more important now in an increasingly difficult and divided world." He signaled openness to future dialogue, noting that broadcasters decide annually whether to participate and that the EBU hopes to welcome Ireland back.

The contest has been a flashpoint for geopolitical tension since Israel began competing in 1973. In 2024, the European Commission intervened after organizers banned audience members from waving EU flags at the grand final in Sweden, calling the decision "mind-blowing" and "regrettable." What began as a song competition has become a stage where nations register their moral objections, and where the question of who belongs at the table has become inseparable from questions of war, suffering, and the limits of cultural neutrality.