José Pablo López, the president of RTVE, is to propose to the RTVE Board of Directors that Spain withdraw from Eurovision if Israel participates.
During Directo al grano on La 1 today, it was announced that José Pablo López will propose to the RTVE Board of Directors that Spain withdraw from Eurovision 2026 if Israel participates at a Board of Directors meeting tomorrow morning. If the motion is accepted, Spain would become the fifth country to announce a possible withdrawal from Eurovision 2026 and would be the first Big 5 country to do so. RTVSLO (Slovenia), RÚV (Iceland), RTÉ (Ireland) and AVROTROS (Netherlands) also stated that they would not compete if Israel takes part.
Several government ministers have also voiced their support for Spain withdrawing. Pedro Sánchez, Prime Minister of Spain, stated that “neither Russia nor Israel should participate in international competitions while they continue to create violence” and added that “Spain maintains a constant commitment to human rights and international law”. Last week, Ernest Urtasun, Minister for Culture, called for Spain to withdraw from the 2026 contest if Israel participates.
The debate on Israel’s participation in international events such as Eurovision comes after the conclusion of the Vuelta a España 2025, which saw several protests during different stages of the race against the cycling team Israel-Premier Tech. Two stages of the race finished without a winner, including the final stage in Madrid.
Should Spain withdraw from the contest, it would mark the first time since their debut in 1961 that Spain would not participate in Eurovision. Spain currently holds the record for the most participations without a withdrawal.
Image source: Sarah Louise Bennett/EBU | Source: RTVE
Spain debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1961 and has competed annually since, making them the longest participating country that has never withdrawn. Spain has won the contest on two occasions. The first time was in 1968, when Massiel sang “La la la”. and the second time was in 1969, when Salomé sang “Vivo cantando”. 1969 is the only year where more than one song has won the contest. The 1969 contest saw a four-way tie between Spain, France, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.
