German Chancellor threatens Eurovision boycott over Israel exclusion
Friedrich Merz says Germany will boycott Eurovision 2026 if other countries exclude Israel from the competition
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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Germany will boycott Eurovision 2026 in Vienna if Israel gets excluded from the competition. Several European countries like Ireland, Iceland, Netherlands, Slovenia, Belgium, and Spain want to exclude Israel or boycott the show because of Israel's actions in Gaza. The Eurovision Broadcasting Union will have a special meeting in November to vote about Israel's participation.
Merz thinks the discussion about excluding Israel is a scandal and strongly supports Israel staying in the contest. He said Germany will leave the competition if Israel cannot participate. The Israeli broadcaster said Eurovision is cultural, not political, and exclusion would be very disturbing.
A German survey shows some people support excluding Israel as political pressure. This year's Eurovision winner also supports Israel's exclusion. Germany is one of the Big Five countries that always participate in Eurovision.