8 in 10 Brits Want Israel Banned from Eurovision 2026

The BBC has been plunged into chaos after a bombshell poll has revealed that an overwhelming majority of the British public think the UK should pull out of the Eurovision Song Contest if Israel is allowed to take part next year.

It comes as countries including Spain and Ireland have said they will not participate if Israel remains in the line-up. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) recently announced that each country will be invited to vote on whether Israel will participate in 2026 at an emergency meeting in early November.

Eurovision response

BBC director general Tim Davie said the broadcaster is “aware of the concerns” but that the contest has “never been about politics”.

The survey asked people whether it was right to ban Russia from Eurovision after its full-scale, unprovoked and illegal invasion of Ukraine. A remarkable 94% of Brits agreed that Russia’s exclusion was the right decision, with that figure rising even further to 96% of Eurovision fans.

Nearly three-quarters went on to say that banning Russia but not Israel is inconsistent, with that increasing to 80% of Eurovision fans.

When asked specifically about Israel, a majority of Britons (82%) and Eurovision fans (87%) said they should not be allowed to compete in Vienna in 2026. And crucially, if Israel is permitted to take part, 69% of all respondents believe the UK should withdraw from the contest.

Support for withdrawal cuts across voters of every political party except Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, with majorities across every region, age group and gender.

Shock Poll

The shock poll follows a United Nations (UN) report concluding that Benjamin Netanyahu’s escalating military actions in Gaza amount to genocide. The findings will undoubtedly pile pressure onto the BBC who are already in crisis talks after Spain became the first of the “Big 5” to withdraw, joining Ireland, Slovenia, the Netherlands and Iceland.

Belgium, Norway and Finland are considering their positions, while three of seven board members of Italy’s broadcaster RAI called for Italy to go, warning that the “participation of countries involved in serious human rights violations risks profoundly compromising [the contest’s] meaning and credibility.” The “Big 5” are the five countries who contribute most financially to the show and include the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Germany and Italy. All five qualify automatically to the Grand Final.

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has the final call on all decisions related to the Eurovision Song Contest including which countries can take part, what songs can be performed, and whether something is deemed too political.

The poll was commissioned by Pablo O’Hana, a senior political advisor and campaign strategist who served prominent political figures, including the UK’s Deputy Prime Minister, the campaign to legalise abortion in Ireland and Kamala Harris’s historic bid for the White House.  As a Eurovision superfan, he hosts an annual 35-country feast, with custom LED wristbands, 250ft of homemade red, white and blue bunting and balloon arches, once hailed as the UK’s “best Eurovision party.”

Pablo O’Hana said:

Eurovision was born from the rubble of the Second World War to unite a fractured continent through music. For nearly 70 years, it has done just that – evolving into one of the world’s most successful peace projects, pulling in hundreds of millions of people and discovering some of the greatest artists of all time.

The EBU were right to exclude Russia after its unprovoked and illegal invasion of Ukraine, and I was so proud of my country when we hosted in Liverpool on behalf of our neighbours under siege. It was Britain at its best and Eurovision at its finest. But the organisers now risk ripping out its soul. The EBU’s refusal to apply the same principle to Israel is forcing members to take a stand or face a credibility crisis.

He continued:

The British public can see that double standard – and they want the UK to stand with our allies like Spain, Ireland and the Netherlands in walking away. The United Kingdom has a long and proud history of standing up for what is right. We are at our best when we act as the moral compass for the world, never flinching in the face of aggression – whether that was Hitler in the past or Putin today.

Yet on Eurovision, we are increasingly isolated and failing to show the same principle, consistency and leadership. The UK’s participation in Eurovision 2026 without any meaningful dissent could be seen as an endorsement of Israel’s actions in Palestine. That is not who we are. The BBC is the public’s broadcaster. It exists to serve the people who fund it – and these findings show exactly where the public stand.

Eurovision isn’t just about songs and staging – it’s about values. If Israel is permitted to compete, the people of Britain believe we should walk away. The BBC must get a backbone and listen.

Featured image via Unsplash/Loegunn Lai