AI-written summary synthesised from 5 independent reports, listed below. No human editor reviewed this. AI can misread or omit facts — read the originals.
ABSTRACT

Irish public broadcaster RTÉ said on Thursday that it will neither take part in nor broadcast the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest, stating that Ireland's participation cannot be justified given the "appalling and ongoing loss of lives in Gaza" and a humanitarian crisis that it said continues to put civilians at risk. RTÉ, which manages Ireland's selection and participation in the contest, also said it remains deeply concerned by the continued denial of independent access for international journalists to the territory. It is the second consecutive year Ireland has withdrawn, having also declined to take part in or broadcast the 2026 contest. The Netherlands' public broadcaster AVROTROS has likewise said it will not participate in 2027. The BBC reports the 2027 contest will take place at the Arena Burgas in Burgas, Bulgaria, with semi-finals on 11 and 13 May and the Grand Final on 15 May.

Al Jazeera English

Ireland's RTÉ pulls out of Eurovision 2027, citing deaths in Gaza

Sep 17, 2026, 11:40 AM

Irish public broadcaster RTÉ said on Thursday that it will neither take part in nor broadcast the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest, stating that Ireland's participation cannot be justified given the "appalling and ongoing loss of lives in Gaza" and a humanitarian crisis that it said continues to put civilians at risk. RTÉ, which manages Ireland's selection and participation in the contest, also said it remains deeply concerned by the continued denial of independent access for international journalists to the territory. It is the second consecutive year Ireland has withdrawn, having also declined to take part in or broadcast the 2026 contest. The Netherlands' public broadcaster AVROTROS has likewise said it will not participate in 2027. The BBC reports the 2027 contest will take place at the Arena Burgas in Burgas, Bulgaria, with semi-finals on 11 and 13 May and the Grand Final on 15 May.

Context

Five countries withdrew from the 2026 contest in Vienna over Israel's participation: the Netherlands, Iceland, Spain, Ireland and Slovenia. France 24 and Arab News report that the latter three also refused to broadcast the show.

Earlier this month, Eurovision organisers said they would exclude any country involved in an armed conflict from hosting the competition. The Dutch broadcaster said that measure was not "sufficient", stating that Eurovision could "no longer be considered neutral" given Israel's participation in what Al Jazeera describes as "a large-scale military conflict" in Gaza.

The European Broadcasting Union organises the annual competition. Al Jazeera reports the EBU has faced accusations of applying a double standard for not excluding Israel, despite banning Russia after its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Eurovision director Martin Green said on Thursday that organisers "fully respect" Ireland's decision and that Ireland "will be missed". He said the contest is at its best when broadcasters and artists from different countries come together to share music and create connections, and that this is "even more important now in an increasingly difficult and divided world". The Jerusalem Post reported that the EBU regretted the Irish broadcaster's choice but "fully respects their decision".

France 24 and Arab News report that Israel, which has been at war in Gaza since 2023, came close to winning the contest in both 2025 and 2026, finishing second on each occasion. The BBC reports that Bulgaria won the 2026 contest in Vienna with DARA's "Bangaranga", the country's first victory, and that the 2027 event will be held in Burgas.

Al Jazeera reports that thousands of protesters gathered outside the venue in Vienna during the 2026 final in mid-May to oppose Israel's participation. France 24 references a New York Times report describing Eurovision as a "soft power" tool for Israel.

The BBC reports that Israel rejects allegations of genocide, saying its troops conduct self-defence operations in Gaza and the occupied West Bank in accordance with international law. It reports that the Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023 in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage, and that more than 73,780 people have been killed during the campaign according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry, whose figures the UN considers reliable.

All Perspectives
RTÉ (Irish public broadcaster): "RTÉ will not participate in the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest, nor will RTÉ broadcast the competition." It said Ireland's participation "cannot be justified given the appalling and ongoing loss of lives in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there which continues to put the lives of so many civilians at risk", and that it remains "deeply concerned by the continued denial of independent access [for] international journalists to the territory".
AVROTROS (Dutch public broadcaster): AVROTROS announced it would not take part in the 2027 competition, citing Israel's participation and what it described as the EBU's lack of neutrality. It said the contest could "no longer be considered neutral" given Israel's involvement in a large-scale military conflict, and that the exclusion of countries in conflict from hosting was not "sufficient". Director-general Taco Zimmerman said: "the Eurovision Song Contest was originally created to bring people and countries together. It is undeniable that international conflicts are increasingly affecting the contest, undermining its neutral character."
Sinn Féin: Ireland's main opposition party welcomed RTÉ's decision. Its spokesperson for Culture, Communications and Sport, Joanna Byrne, told Al Jazeera that Israel's behaviour "cannot be normalised" and that "RTÉ's decision to again boycott the Eurovision Song Contest is the correct and principled decision in the face of Israel's ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people". She added that Israel is an "apartheid state", accused it of "ethnic cleansing" and said Israel "as an aggressor nation just like Russia, should have been banned when they engaged in genocidal actions, just like Russia".
European Broadcasting Union / Eurovision organisers: Eurovision director Martin Green said on Thursday that organisers "fully respect" Ireland's decision and that Ireland "will be missed". He said: "The Eurovision Song Contest is at its best when broadcasters and their artists from different countries come together to share music, celebrate creativity and create connections between audiences. That power to bring people together is at the heart of what makes the Contest so special, and is even more important now in an increasingly difficult and divided world." The Jerusalem Post reported that the EBU regretted the Irish broadcaster's choice.
Israel: According to the BBC, Israel rejects allegations of genocide and says its troops conduct self-defence operations in Gaza and the occupied West Bank in accordance with international law. The BBC also reports the Israeli military launched its campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023.

Where sources differ

  • Viewership figures for the 2026 contest differ: Al Jazeera reports 132 million viewers, 34 million fewer than the 2025 edition, while France 24 and Arab News report 131 million viewers, down by 35 million from the year before.
Gaps & Unknowns
  • None of the sources establishes whether any broadcasters beyond Ireland and the Netherlands plan to join the 2027 boycott, or whether others are considering doing so.
  • No source gives a response from the Israeli government, or from an Israeli broadcaster, specifically to RTÉ's decision to withdraw from or not broadcast the 2027 contest.
  • No source states whether the EBU intends to change its rules on Israel's participation in the contest, or whether the new hosting eligibility rule affects participating countries at all.
  • Viewer numbers for the 2026 contest differ between sources and are not independently verified within the supplied text.
  • Casualty figures cited for Gaza come from the territory's Hamas-run health ministry; the sources do not provide independently verified totals or a breakdown.
  • None of the sources states the full terms of the Eurovision rule on armed conflict and hosting, beyond describing it broadly.
Sources & Further Reading
  1. Al Jazeera English — original — by Daniel Khalili-Tari
  2. France 24 — by FRANCE 24
  3. Arab News — by AFP
  4. The Jerusalem Post — by JERUSALEM POST STAFF
  5. BBC News — by BBC News

Read the original at Al Jazeera English

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