- Noa Kirel has criticised the Eurovision boycotts as antisemitic and said politics shouldn’t interfere in the contest
- Several countries like Ireland and Iceland have boycotted Eurovision 2026, citing Israel’s actions in Gaza as the reason
- The European Broadcasting Union reaffirmed Israel’s participation despite allegations of political misuse and voting interference
An Israeli singer who represented the country at Eurovision has slammed boycotts as ‘antisemitic’.
Last week the European Broadcasting Union gave the green light for Israel to compete in the 2026 event, which came after significant pressure to remove the country due to the war in Gaza.
However since then, five countries – Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Iceland – have announced they will boycott the competition.
This week, last year’s winner Nemo also announced they would be handing back their trophy – stating that Eurovision was ‘repeatedly used to soften the image of a state accused of severe wrongdoing’.
However, these actions have now been condemned by singer Noa Kirel – who represented Israel at Eurovision in 2023.
During an interview on BBC’s This World Tonight this week, Kirel was asked about the countries who had decided to withdraw from the contest in protest.
‘Honestly, I am deeply disappointed by this decision because Eurovision is a bridge, it is not a wall,’ she said.
‘And the heart of this competition is connecting hearts through music. And unfortunately, some countries are letting politics ruin the celebration.’
She went on: ‘Israel did not violate any rules of Eurovision. Israel is a peace-seeking country. And on October 7, Israel did not attack anyone.
‘Israel was brutally attacked in a way unseen before. Entire families were murdered, including children. Civilians were kidnapped. Israel defended itself like any other nation would do. Those countries are choosing to see the opposite, to ignore the reality and to boycott Israel. That is antisemitism. So, I think boycotting Israel on political fronts – it’s not just an injury to us; it’s an injury to everything that Eurovision represents.’
After being read the statements from boycotting countries, including Ireland – whose broadcaster RTE said its participation ‘remains unconscionable given the appalling loss of lives in Gaza’ – Kirel doubled down.
‘As I said, you know, Eurovision is all about connecting people’s hearts through music. I don’t think politics has a place in this competition. About what they said – Israel defended itself like any other nation would do. Eurovision is all about connecting people, regardless of politics, religion or borders,’ she said.
‘That is what Eurovision is all about. So, I think we should put that on the side and focus on music.’
Russia was banned from Eurovision after its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Israel has continued to compete in the past two years despite its most recent actions in Gaza.
Part of the EBU’s voting process last week included addressing claims that Israel had interfered in the contest’s televoting system – which will now lead to a change in voting rules.
‘A large majority of members agreed that there was no need for a further vote on participation and that the Eurovision song contest 2026 should proceed as planned, with the additional safeguards in place,’ the EBU said in a statement.
Asked about this specifically, Kirel responded: ‘Those accusations, especially during this period, are nonsense. I think it’s part of a wave of antisemitism. I think that instead of searching for excuses for our success, I suggest that everyone focuses on music.’
Kirel, 24, came third in the 2023 contest with her song Unicorn. Reflecting on her time competing for her country, Kirel called it an ‘incredible experience’. ‘I felt like we came to make music, and I felt really loved by the delegations,’ she said.
Since joining Eurovision in 1973, Israel has won four times. In the past three years it has finished second, fifth and third.
What have the boycotting countries said?
In its statement, RTE wrote: ‘Ireland’s participation remains unconscionable given the appalling loss of lives in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there which continues to put the lives of so many civilians at risk. RTÉ remains deeply concerned by the targeted killing of journalists in Gaza during the conflict and the continued denial of access to international journalists to the territory.’
Meanwhile the secretary general of Spain’s public broadcaster RTVE, Alfonso Morales said: ‘The situation in Gaza, despite the ceasefire and the approval of the peace process, and the use of the contest for political goals by Israel, make it increasingly difficult to keep Eurovision a neutral cultural event.’
When announcing its boycott, Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS said its decision ‘follows a careful process in which information was gathered from a wide range of stakeholders’ including the Israeli ambassador to Amnesty International.
‘All things considered, AVROTROS concludes that participation under the current circumstances is incompatible with the public values that are essential to us,’ it said.
In a statement, president of Slovenia’s RTVSLO management board Natalija Gorščak explained: ‘For the third year in a row, the public has been demanding that we say no to the cooperation of any country that is attacking another country. We must follow European standards for peace and understanding. From the very beginning, Eurovision was a place for joy and happiness, the performers and the audience were united by music, and so it should remain.’
Meanwhile Iceland’s broadcaster RUV – who announced its decision to step down on the night that participating in next year’s contest needed to be confirmed – said it was ‘clear from the public debate in this country and the reaction to the EBU’s decision made last week that there will be neither joy nor peace regarding RÚV’s participation in Eurovision’.
‘The Song Contest and Eurovision have always had the goal of uniting the Icelandic people, but it is now clear that that goal will not be achieved, and this decision is made on those programmatic grounds,’ it added.
Following last week’s vote, the BBC has said it supported the ‘collective decision’ to allow Israel to participate in next year’s Eurovision Song Contest.
‘We support the collective decision made by members of the EBU. This is about enforcing the rules of the EBU and being inclusive,’ a spokesperson said in a statement.
The Eurovision Song Contest 2026 will mark the 70th edition of the event. It is set to include two semi-finals and a final in May, to be held at Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, Austria.
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