After 65 years of uninterrupted participation in Eurovision, Spain has withdrawn from the festival to show its disagreement with Israel's continued participation.Thus, there will be no representative from TVE in the next edition of Eurovision, which was held on May 16th in Vienna and marked the 70th anniversary of the song contest. However, the Benidorm Fest, the festival created by RTVE to choose Spain's Eurovision representative, will still take place. The only difference is that this year, the winner of this competition will not go to Eurovision.

After months of debate, the European Broadcasting Union has decided that Israel will participate in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest, according to Reuters. This decision comes after a majority vote on the country's continued participation was held this afternoon in Geneva. Among the countries leading the calls for a boycott of Israel was Spain, which has announced its withdrawal from the 2026 contest and its cancellation of the broadcast – a controversial decision given that it is one of the most-watched annual events. RTVE, the Spanish public broadcaster, explained via its social media channels that it announced its withdrawal following the vote to approve the new contest rules. The next Eurovision Song Contest will be held in Vienna, Austria, on May 16, and, as Spain has specified, RTVE will not broadcast the final or the two semi-finals, which will take place on May 12 and 14. The same statement also explains that RTVE, along with seven other countries, requested a secret written vote on Israel's continued membership, but the EBU presidency denied the request.

The board of directors of RTVE has decided that Spain will withdraw from Eurovision if Israel continues to participate. The measure follows the proposal by the president of the organization, José Pablo López, to withdraw from the festival if Israel participates in the next edition, to be held on May 16, 2026, in Vienna. The RTVE board is made up of 15 members, five of whom are proposed by the PSOE, four by the PP, two by Sumar, and the rest by Junts, ERC, PNV, and Podemos. Spain's boycott of Israel's participation was approved by an absolute majority of the corporation's governing body, with ten votes in favor, four against, and one abstention (by Junts). RTVE's decision is a further step in the Spanish government's pressure strategy against Israel for the war in Gaza.

Spain no woman truce in Israel. After theSuspension of the Vuelta following pro-Palestinian protestsThis weekend in Madrid, the Spanish president, Pedro Sánchez, has asked this Monday ban Israel and Russia from all international sports competitions"Until the barbarism stops, neither Russia nor Israel should be involved in any further international competitions," Sánchez argued, calling on sports organizations to consider whether it is "ethical" for Israel to use these platforms to "whitewash" itself. But the Spanish boycott of the Hebrew state will take another step forward tomorrow.