The moment of truth has arrived for Spain and its decesion on whether to participate or to abstain from the upcoming 2026 Eurovision Song Contest, to be held in Vienna, Austria.

Spain, alongside with Ireland and Slovenia are the three nation who have clearly epxressed their decisire to withdraw from Eurovision 2026 should Israel be allowed to participate as usual, due to the war conflict that followed the last couple of years between Israel and Palestine.

On Thursday at 16:00 CET, the joint congressional and senate committee responsible for overseeing the Spanish national broadcaster is going to convene, during which the RTVE leadership will have to answer a number of questions from politicians. This public hearing is part of the legal obligations of the Spanish national broadcaster, which is accountable to parliament and includes the representation of various political parties.

The issue of participation in Eurovision 2026 has been added to the committee’s agenda, which means that RTVE’s management will have to consider it. The representative who raised the issue is Ramon Morales Quesada, from the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party, the party of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, which has taken a stand in Spain against Israeli policies.

During recent months, the coverage by the Spanish national broadcaster has reflected the current government’s line and has been widely seen as heavily pro-Palestinian. Senior RTVE officials have openly expressed their support for the Palestinian cause and their strong opposition to Israel’s participation in various international fora, including the Eurovision Song Contest. The Spanish national broadcaster has gone so far as to threaten to boycott the contest if Israel continues to participate. However, in light of the current ceasefire and following the significant changes recently introduced to Eurovision voting procedures, it is possible that Spain will back down from its boycott threats and continue to participate in Eurovision as usual, even if Israel remains in the contest.

So all that remains is to wait until next Thursday for an official announcement to be made as to whether the Iberian kingdom will take part, or we will have the first withdrawal of a member of the Big 5 since their establishment with the return of Italy in 2011.

Source: Euromix

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