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Board of Iceland’s National Broadcaster Supports Boycott of 2027 Eurovision if Israel Not Banned
Six of RÚV’s nine board members backed the move, saying Iceland should skip the contest unless Israel is barred.
On Thursday, Iceland's public broadcaster RÚV announced it will skip the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest unless Israel is barred, with six of nine board members backing the decision at a meeting today.
Iceland was one of five countries that boycotted Eurovision 2026 over Israel's participation, and RÚV board chair Stefán Jón Hafstein said the broadcaster's position remains unchanged since last year due to the European Broadcasting Union's inaction.
The Netherlands has decided to return to the competition after its boycott this year; Dutch broadcaster NPO said the European Broadcasting Union took "significant steps" in changing rules, including reducing voting limits from 20 to 10.
Spain and Slovenia remain the only other countries that boycotted this year yet to confirm their 2027 participation, as RTVE's president proposed maintaining Spain's boycott while RTV Slovenija stated a final decision has not been reached.
The 2027 Eurovision Song Contest is scheduled to be held in Burgas, Bulgaria, as the board directed its director to communicate the broadcaster's position to the European Broadcasting Union, reiterating the call for Israel's exclusion.
Six of the nine members have asked the general director of the corporation to notify the EBU of the refusal to attend the musical appointment if Israel continues on the list of participants
Iceland will continue its boycott of the Eurovision Song Contest unless Israel is excluded. This requires a majority vote on the board of the Icelandic public service broadcaster RÚV.