Israel Eurovision row: Former Irish Justice Minister Alan Shatter accuses RTE of withdrawing 'in a hissy fit'
A former Irish Justice minister has accused RTE of pulling out of the Eurovision song contest "in a hissy fit" because it was unable to persuade other countries to ban Israel.
Four out of 37 nations from the competition have withdrawn in protest at the ongoing inclusion of Israel, in light of the devastation of the Israel-Hamas war.
Ireland, The Netherlands, Spain and Slovenia pulled out following the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) general assembly in Geneva last week.
According to reports, a majority of members voted against a proposal to hold a vote to ban Israel.
Irish national broadcaster RTE later said it will not broadcast or take part in the contest.
It said: “RTE feels that Ireland’s participation remains unconscionable given the appalling loss of lives in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there which continues to put the lives of so many civilians at risk."
Taoiseach Micheal Martin said he “fully understands” the RTE decision.
Mr Martin said there are two groups of people, among many, who were extremely brave during the war in Gaza – the medical community and journalists.
“And this is, among other things, an act of solidarity with those journalists who were killed in breach of international humanitarian law during the war in Gaza,” he added.
But former Irish Justice Minister Alan Shatter, who is Jewish, hit out at RTE's decision to withdraw.
He said: "At the Nova Music festival of October 2023 over 360 young people of diverse backgrounds were slaughtered by Hamas, including singers and musicians, plus 44 were abducted to Gaza – Israeli artists participating in an international music festival should be celebrated not demonised."
He said that the participation of Israel singer Yuval Raphael’s in the competiton earlier this year followed her "miraculous survival" at the Nova festival, where she hid from Hamas by "lying under the dead bodies of murdered friends".
The former Irish minister added: "This should have made her an acclaimed participant in Ireland - not an object of despicable hate."
He said that RTE’s “campaign” to exclude Israel from next year's competition has "gone down the toilet and received no support from the overwhelming majority of broadcasters".
In response, he said, RTE has now "in a hissy fit withdrawn from Eurovision 2026”.
"Clearly the ideologically obsessed anti Israel obsessive RTE Trade Unions couldn’t cope with the substantial Irish viewer support in 2024 and 2025 for Israeli contestants."
Daniel O'Dowd, spokesman for the Ireland Israel Alliance, noted that the decision by RTE came only days after Dublin City Council made an abortive attempt to rename a public park named after a Jewish man.
It also follows, he said, a subsequent row in which the Irish ambassador to Israel accused Israel of using the concept of anti-semetisim as “a weapon” to silence critics.
"Last week ended with Ireland boycotting the Jewish State at Eurovision?” he said.
"How fitting. But I ask you this - what has this achieved? Absolutely nothing. Israel will be in Vienna next year, and whatever gimmick act we were planning to send will stay at home. To summarise, Ireland loses out and Israel is unaffected."
RTÉ responded that it is pleased that a Sunday Independent poll published on Sunday found that 79% of the Irish public supports its withdrawal from Eurovision.