The Board of Directors at Iceland’s national broadcaster, RÚV, has voted to call for Israel’s expulsion from Eurovision. This comes ahead of the General Assembly that is set to take placee later this week.
“Everything will be clear”
Speaking to its news department, the chairman of the board Stefán Jón Hafstein, said that in total, five out of the nine directors voted in favour of calling for Israel to be expelled. Hafstein explained:
A majority today agreed to recommend to the board of the European Broadcasting Union, EBU, to expel Israel from the competition next spring 2026.
What happens next is that the EBU will meet for a general meeting on December 4-5. I understand that on December 4, this issue regarding Israel’s participation and the rules regarding the competition will be discussed and then our agreement will have been presented for that meeting. It will be completely clear then.
Iceland has called for Israel’s expulsion from the Contest, and has also called for televote reform in the wake of Israel’s second-place finish in Basel. No decision has been made on whether Iceland will withdraw should Israel be allowed to participate. A final decision on Israel’s participation is expected by the end of the week.
Iceland’s Eurovision journey
Iceland made its debut on the Eurovision stage in 1986, finishing 16th with the song “Gleðibankinn” (Bank of Fun) by ICY. In their 35 appearances, Iceland has finished in top 10 an impressive 7 times. Their best result to date is second place, which they have achieved twice. The first time was in 1999, where Selma Björnsdóttir received 146 points for her performance of “All Out of Luck”. The second time was in 2009, with Yohanna singing “Is It True” and receiving 218 points.
VÆB represented Iceland in Basel in 2025 with their song “RÓA”. The duo qualified for the final, bringing Iceland back into the final for the first time since 2022. In the final, they would eventually finish in 25th place with 33 points; all of these were awarded by the televote.
What do you make of the Board of Directors’ decision? Will Iceland withdraw if Israel is allowed to compete? As always, please let us know what you think by getting involved in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Threads, tumblr, and Bluesky for more information about Eurovision 2026!
News Source: RÚV
Photo Credit: EBU
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