Israelis hope for cheerful Eurovision despite political controversy

Superfans of the Eurovision Song Contest in Israel remain optimistic ahead of the upcoming annual event and despite unprecedented political controversy and boycotts.

As the contest approaches, members of Israel’s Eurovision community voiced hope that it won't be too dramatically affected by boycott campaigns and the withdrawal of five national broadcasters in protest against Israel’s conduct in the Gaza war.

"We're not scared, we want to dance, we want to have fun," Aviv Ori Gal, an Israeli Eurovision superfan told Reuters on Sunday (May 3).

Gal, together with his husband, Jurij Vlasov, streams Eurovision reaction videos on YouTube from their apartment in central Israel.

He said that sending a joyful song to the contest after two 'difficult' years of 'drama and ballads' represents the Israeli spirit of bouncing back to life after a difficult time of ongoing wars.

Gal added that the real Eurovision fans want to continue watching Eurovision regardless of political controversies, referring to the fact that five broadcasters — including Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Iceland and Slovenia — had said they will withdraw from the contest in protest at Israel’s participation.

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has faced major pressure over Israel’s participation in Eurovision with the EBU confirming the nation would compete in 2026.

Israel has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest since 1973 and won the contest four times, most recently with Netta Barzlai's "Toy" in 2018.

Following the win of Austrian singer JJ in 2025, the annual song contest will take place in Vienna. Israel will first participate in the semi-finals on May 12 when it will be decided whether it will take part in the finals on May 16, 2026.

(Production: Joseph Campbell, Hannah Confino)