Another key change Boycott marks turning point in event's history

The decision by four European broadcasters to boycott next year's Eurovision over Israel's inclusion is a watershed moment in the contest's 70-year history.

- Philip Oltermann

One of the few popular, non-elitist and pan-European cultural events will be without Spain, one of the "big five" nations in terms of financial contributions; Ireland, which has won the contest more times than any other country bar Sweden; the Netherlands, a 1956 founding member; and Slovenia, symbolic of Europe's eastward expansion.

And with only a shaky ceasefire in Gaza and Israel's broadcaster KAN showing no sign of retreating, this may be the state of play for some time to come. However, political boycotts are not new to the world's largest live music event, whatever its organisers say about the competition's supposedly apolitical nature.

"Greece and Turkey have boycotted the event, in 1975 and 1976 respectively, over Turkey's invasion of Cyprus," said Paul Jordan, a cultural historian and member of the international jury for the French national selection for Eurovision in 2019. Armenia refused to take part when the 2012 event was held in Baku, Azerbaijan.