{"id":316140,"date":"2026-05-18T12:00:28","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T11:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=316140"},"modified":"2026-05-14T19:29:18","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T18:29:18","slug":"spain-ireland-slovenia-boycott-eurovision-over-israels-inclusion-set-to-air-palestine-films-instead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2026\/05\/spain-ireland-slovenia-boycott-eurovision-over-israels-inclusion-set-to-air-palestine-films-instead\/","title":{"rendered":"Spain, Ireland, Slovenia Boycott Eurovision over Israel&#8217;s Inclusion, Set to Air Palestine Films Instead"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_316141\" style=\"width: 510px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/palestine-flag.jpeg\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-316141\" class=\"wp-image-316141\" src=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/palestine-flag-1024x576.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/palestine-flag-1024x576.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/palestine-flag-300x169.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/palestine-flag-768x432.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/palestine-flag-1536x864.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/palestine-flag.jpeg 1599w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-316141\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">(Photo credit: Nearchos\/Splash News\/ABACAPRESS.COM)<\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><em>Tel Aviv is pouring hundreds of millions into its Hasbara propaganda machine in an effort to reverse its reputational freefall.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><em>11 May 2026\u00a0<\/em>&#8211;\u00a0Public broadcasters from Spain, Ireland, and Slovenia announced on 11 May that they will not air this week\u2019s Eurovision Song Contest in protest of Israel\u2019s participation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor the next 10 days, instead of the Eurovision circus, the national television program will be colored by the thematic program series \u2018Voices of Palestine,\u2019\u201d Slovenian broadcaster RTV said.<\/p>\n<p>Featured documentaries and films will include Gaza Twins, Come Back to Me, No Other Land, The Voice of Hind Rajab, and The Teacher.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"media\">\n<div class=\"twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered\"><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-0\" class=\"\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=TheCradleMedia&amp;dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=2053816276464636042&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fthecradle.co%2Farticles-id%2F37634&amp;sessionId=a97ced85fb2206e8091d5ed914074d2d60aa08bd&amp;siteScreenName=TheCradleMedia&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-tweet-id=\"2053816276464636042\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>The broadcaster will also air a special episode examining the political and ethical debate around Eurovision, including the contest\u2019s voting system and arguments for and against the boycott.<\/p>\n<p>Ireland\u2019s RTE will air a comedy show instead, while Spain will broadcast a special musical program during the contest, which begins on Tuesday in Vienna.<\/p>\n<p>Spain, Ireland, and Slovenia have now joined The Netherlands and Iceland in boycotting the contest over the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) decision to allow Israel to participate, as Tel Aviv\u2019s global reputation continues to plummet over the ongoing genocide in Gaza and its continual crimes against humanity.<\/p>\n<p>A recent\u00a0<i>New York Times<\/i> (NYT) investigation found that Israel ran a coordinated, multi-year campaign to turn Eurovision into a soft-power tool, spending at least $1 million on marketing, including funds from Netanyahu\u2019s Hasbara office, while Israeli embassies pressured European broadcasters to keep Tel Aviv in the contest.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"media\">\n<div class=\"twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered\"><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-1\" class=\"\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=TheCradleMedia&amp;dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-1&amp;features=eyJ0ZndfdGltZWxpbmVfbGlzdCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOltdLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2ZvbGxvd2VyX2NvdW50X3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9iYWNrZW5kIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19yZWZzcmNfc2Vzc2lvbiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZm9zbnJfc29mdF9pbnRlcnZlbnRpb25zX2VuYWJsZWQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib24iLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X21peGVkX21lZGlhXzE1ODk3Ijp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRyZWF0bWVudCIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3Nob3dfYmlyZHdhdGNoX3Bpdm90c19lbmFibGVkIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19kdXBsaWNhdGVfc2NyaWJlc190b19zZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdXNlX3Byb2ZpbGVfaW1hZ2Vfc2hhcGVfZW5hYmxlZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdmlkZW9faGxzX2R5bmFtaWNfbWFuaWZlc3RzXzE1MDgyIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRydWVfYml0cmF0ZSIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfbGVnYWN5X3RpbWVsaW5lX3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9mcm9udGVuZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9fQ%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=2053830535563071870&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fthecradle.co%2Farticles-id%2F37634&amp;sessionId=a97ced85fb2206e8091d5ed914074d2d60aa08bd&amp;siteScreenName=TheCradleMedia&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-tweet-id=\"2053830535563071870\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>This broader reputation freefall comes as Israeli officials pour roughly $730 million into Hasbara, the state\u2019s\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/thecradle.co\/articles\/israel-pours-730m-into-global-propaganda-machine-as-reputation-collapses\" >global propaganda machine<\/a>, in a desperate attempt to reverse the collapse of Israel\u2019s cultural and diplomatic standing.<\/p>\n<p>The spending push includes mass digital outreach, foreign delegation trips, influencer campaigns, AI-driven targeting, and coordinated efforts to suppress dissenting content, including material exposing the scale of Israeli war crimes.<\/p>\n<p>Analysts say Israel\u2019s massive propaganda spending is unlikely to reverse the damage, as global anger is driven by its genocide, apartheid policies, and military conduct rather than poor messaging.<\/p>\n<p>Communication scholar Nicholas Cull said public diplomacy can only help \u201con the margins,\u201d because people form their views based on \u201cthe actual policies, not how well you sell those policies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Despite the massive efforts, Israel\u2019s reputation continues to collapse in the US, where\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/thecradle.co\/articles\/nearly-60-percent-of-us-citizens-now-view-israel-unfavorably-after-war-on-iran-poll\" >nearly 60 percent\u00a0<\/a>of citizens now view it unfavorably as younger demographics, opposition to Netanyahu, and economic pressure from the US-Israeli war on Iran drive a sharp shift in public opinion.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/thecradle.co\/articles-id\/37634\" >Go to Original &#8211; thecradle.co<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong><em>JOIN THE BDS-BOYCOTT, DIVESTMENT, SANCTIONS CAMPAIGN TO PROTEST THE ISRAELI BARBARIC GENOCIDE OF PALESTINIANS IN GAZA.<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong><em>DON&#8217;T BUY PRODUCTS WHOSE BARCODE STARTS WITH <\/em><\/strong><strong><em>729, WHICH INDICATES THAT THEY ARE PRODUCED IN ISRAEL. DO YOUR PART! MAKE A DIFFERENCE!<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong><em>7 2 9: BOYCOTT FOR HUMAN JUSTICE!<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>11 May 2026\u00a0&#8211;\u00a0Public broadcasters from Spain, Ireland, and Slovenia announced today that they will not air this week\u2019s Eurovision Song Contest in protest of Israel\u2019s participation. Tel Aviv is pouring hundreds of millions into its Hasbara propaganda machine in an effort to reverse its reputational freefall.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":316141,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[3837,1854,443,433,1268,3763,87,865,1762,88,802,129,427,2433,2159,3764,250,880,965,1025],"class_list":["post-316140","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-europe","tag-boycott","tag-crimes-against-humanity","tag-culture-of-peace","tag-europe","tag-european-union","tag-eurovision","tag-gaza","tag-genocide","tag-ireland","tag-israel","tag-morality","tag-music","tag-palestine","tag-peacebuilding","tag-rogue-states","tag-slovenia","tag-spain","tag-state-terrorism","tag-war-crimes","tag-west-bank"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/316140","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=316140"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/316140\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":316177,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/316140\/revisions\/316177"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/316141"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=316140"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=316140"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=316140"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}