Merz threatens German boycott of Eurovision if Israel removed

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has threatened to boycott Eurovision if Israel is expelled from the competition in 2026.

In an interview with German public broadcaster ARD’s talk show ‘Caren Miosga’ on Sunday, Merz said, “If Israel is excluded, I would not support taking part.”

Merz condemned the debate surrounding Israel’s participation in the contest, saying, “I think it’s a scandal that this is even being discussed. Israel has a place there.”

Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza has killed at least 67,173 Palestinians and left most of the the enclave uninhabitable has caused worldwide outrage, with broadcasters in several European countries – including Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland and Slovenia – calling for Israel to be banned. 

The European Broadcasting Union is set to vote on the issue at a meeting in early November, saying that it had called the meeting because of the “unprecedented diversity of views” on Israel’s participation.

During the interview, Merz doubled down on Germany’s support for Israel, saying that the country’s “solidarity with Israel has never been in question,” and that “my personal feelings towards Israel are entirely positive.”

Merz did, however, criticise some of Israel’s actions in Gaza as going “too far.” Scores of people are being killed in the devastated territory by Israel every day.

Germany has been a staunch defender of Israel on the international stage since the war in Gaza began, only recently making muted criticism, such as urging Israel to halt its new offensive on Gaza City, alongside other European states.

Germany also temporarily halted arms exports to Israel in August but has recently resumed the war.

Since the start of the war in October 2023, there have been multiple calls to ban Israel’s participation in the contest, with activists demanding that Israel be expelled and citing Russia’s previous expulsion over its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Protests were held around Eurovision  venues in Sweden and Switzerland, which hosted the contests in 2024 and 2025. 

Participants of the contest, including 2024 winner Nemo and 2025 winner JJ, have also voiced criticism of Israel’s inclusion in the contest.

The movement to exclude Israel from Eurovision is one of many such calls in the cultural sphere, which include an artist boycott of the country, calls for FIFA and UEFA to ban Israel from football, as well as an academic boycott of Israeli universities.