Iceland’s national broadcaster RÚV will continue its boycott of the Eurovision Song Contest in 2027 unless Israel is excluded from the competition, the broadcaster’s board decided Wednesday.
Six of the board’s nine members submitted a formal statement directing RÚV Director General to notify the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) of their position and reiterating their demand that Israel be removed from Eurovision.
RÚV said in a statement, "Six of the nine board members submitted minutes stating that they directed to the Director General of RUV 'to notify the EBU that the Icelandic National Broadcasting Corporation will not participate in Eurovision in 2027 unless Israel is barred from participating in the competition. The previous call to the EBU that Israel be expelled from the competition is reiterated and it is requested that the radio director convey that reiteration.'"
The decision follows Iceland’s participation in a group boycott of the 2026 Eurovision contest. Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands and Slovenia also stayed out of the competition that year because Israel was allowed to participate.
Ireland has already said it will withdraw from Eurovision 2027 and will not broadcast the event, with its public broadcaster pointing to the loss of life and humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Dutch public broadcaster Avrotros announced a similar decision in August, claiming Eurovision’s political neutrality had been undermined by the war in Gaza.
Avrotros Director-General Taco Zimmerman said at the time international conflicts are increasingly affecting Eurovision and weakening its intended neutrality. He said the contest had "undermining its neutral character" and "become a platform for division."
Eurovision organizers have introduced rules preventing countries involved in armed conflicts from hosting the contest, but Avrotros said those measures did not resolve its concerns.
The competition attracts tens of millions of viewers around the world each year. Israel finished second in both the 2025 and 2026 contests despite calls to boycott it.
The 2027 Eurovision Song Contest is scheduled to take place in Burgas, Bulgaria, following Bulgarian singer Dara’s victory in Vienna this year.
The EBU rejected calls to exclude Israel from Eurovision 2026, with member broadcasters voting to keep Israel in the competition. Eurovision director Martin Green subsequently said the issue had been settled and ruled out another vote on Israel’s participation.
"No, that’s done. The membership spoke conclusively. Almost 70% made their decision that they believe that public service broadcasters are not responsible for the actions of their government, and that [Israeli broadcaster] Kan should be allowed to participate," Green said in a July interview with Variety.