A protest was held in Belgrade demanding a boycott of Eurovision due to Israel's participation.
AP writes about this.
Dozens of activists gathered outside the state broadcaster RTS, calling on Serbia to withdraw from the contest and not broadcast it. The protesters waved Palestinian flags and accused Israel of crimes during the war in Gaza.
“A Eurovision without Israel would mean defending the ideals that this event proclaims,” the protest organizers said.
As of press time, RTS had not commented on the protesters' demands. It is noted that Serbia maintains close diplomatic ties with Israel.
The Eurovision 2026 final is scheduled for May 12–16 in Vienna. The Serbian band Lavina is scheduled to perform with the song Kraj mene (“Near Me”) .
Israel's participation in Eurovision 2026
During a vote at the 95th EBU General Assembly in Geneva on December 4, the organizers adopted a number of decisions regarding changes to the contest. According to the results of the vote, Israel was left in Eurovision .
Immediately after that, a number of countries officially announced their refusal to participate in the song contest. Among them are Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands and Slovenia. Iceland also joined the boycott on December 10, stating that participation in the contest “will not bring joy or peace” amid the public backlash.
In May 2025, more than 70 former Eurovision contestants called for Israel to be banned from the contest, and that year's winner JJ supported the idea of banning the country in 2026 as well.
Noam Bettan will represent Israel at Eurovision this year.