\n Palestinians walk past the rubble of destroyed buildings in Gaza City on November 2, 2025. (Photo by Reuters)
<\/p>\n
The national broadcasters of Ireland, Spain and the Netherlands have announced that they will boycott the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest\u00a0after the European Broadcasting Union decided to allow Israel to participate in the upcoming competition.<\/strong><\/p>\n The three countries were among several parties that have called for Israel\u2019s exclusion, citing the heavy human toll in Gaza and accusations of unfair voting practices.<\/p>\n Earlier, Eurovision said on Thursday it would not hold a vote on Israel\u2019s participation in the musical contest, dodging calls for the regime\u2019s ban over its ongoing crimes in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.<\/p>\n The decision prompted the three broadcasters to confirm their withdrawal, stating that it does not reflect the ethical values the contest should uphold.<\/p>\n Other international bodies, such as the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) have also sidestepped calls to bar Israel from participation in competitions over its genocide in Gaza.<\/p>\n Critics say those refusals point to double standards that have shielded Israel from accountability. They cited past actions against countries, such as Russia, which was swiftly banned by FIFA and UEFA within days of Russia\u2019s attack on Ukraine in 2022.<\/p>\n Since October 2023, the Israeli army has killed at least 70,117 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and injured 170,999 others in the two-year war in Gaza that has reduced much of the coastal sliver to rubble.<\/p>\n A United Nations Commission of Inquiry (CoI), established by the UN Human Rights Council, concluded that Israeli authorities \u201cintended to kill as many Palestinians as possible\u201d and have committed the crime against humanity of extermination.<\/p>\n According to the \u201cmost authoritative assessment\u201d to date, Israel has committed and is continuing to commit genocide in Gaza.<\/p>\n The report cited direct targeting of civilians, including children, and mass killings in \u201cfar larger numbers” compared to previous wars.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Press TV\u2019s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:<\/p>\n