Luxembourg will not support excluding Israel from the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest, government ministers declared, positioning the nation against a bloc of other European countries pledging to boycott.

The Luxembourg government has stated its opposition to excluding Israel from the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest (ESC), declining to engage in speculation about Israel's motives for participating.

The government's position was announced in response to a parliamentary question from MP Ben Polidori of the Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party (LSAP). In his query, Polidori cited concerns from critics who worry that Israel could use the contest as a platform for "whitewashing and cultural normalisation" and asked if the government would support an exclusion.

Ministers Xavier Bettel, Eric Thill, and Elisabeth Margue answered with a definitive "no". Justifying their stance, they referred to the ESC as an international music competition designed to promote respect and openness between nations. The ministers emphasised that a clear separation must be made between geopolitical tensions and cultural events.

They further stressed that preparations for the contest and Luxembourg's participation will continue as planned. The national broadcaster, RTL Luxembourg, as a member of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), will continue to monitor all relevant decisions.

The 70th Eurovision Song Contest is scheduled for mid-May next year in Vienna.

The announcement from Luxembourg comes as several other countries, including Spain, Ireland, Iceland, Slovenia, and the Netherlands, have declared they will boycott the event if Israel is allowed to compete. Notably, the Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS cited "proven evidence of interference by the Israeli government" during the 2025 contest as a key reason for its stance, in addition to the humanitarian situation in Gaza.