Over the past two years, amid rising debate about Israel's role in Eurovision, I and most fellow superfans have stayed loyal to the event despite our clear doubts.

This week, however, as the usual lineup of emotional anthems and lighthearted entries performs in Vienna, we connect not through shared excitement but through a common feeling of regret over the contest's growing politicization. That regret seems small next to the pain felt by those caught in the conflicts behind these tensions, yet it remains real.

Five nations - Spain, Ireland, Slovenia, Iceland and the Netherlands - have withdrawn from Eurovision this year. Their decision stems from a crisis that the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the group of public broadcasters across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa that runs the show, has handled poorly.

Eurovision has long carried a quiet political layer, and that element once added to its charm. Still, the EBU set a new precedent by barring Russia in 2022 over its invasion of Ukraine, an entry that later triumphed thanks to widespread public backing across the continent.

Once that door opened, it has proved difficult to shut, as the ongoing Israel debate has made clear. The EBU has struggled to adapt in this changed environment, leaving Eurovision's future in doubt.

Along with many fans, including some inside Israel, I felt the national broadcaster Kan showed good sense when it first announced it would skip the 2024 contest. While the war in Gaza continued, the EBU asked Kan and the songwriters to revise lyrics seen as alluding to the 7 October Hamas attacks. As former Israeli entrant Noa noted: "I oppose cultural boycotts in general. Yet if it were my choice, my own country would have stayed away this time."

Israel's president, Isaac Herzog, stepped in and urged Kan to reverse that choice, clearing the way for singer Eden Golan to compete with revised words. Israel's presence in recent contests has sparked protests and calls for withdrawal. Until last year, however, no European broadcaster had formally sought Israel's removal, and most fans kept watching even while distressed by events in Gaza. We hoped the contest would not be defined by one participant's actions.

Simply appearing on stage was not enough for Benjamin Netanyahu's government, which has pushed hard for victory as a form of soft power. A New York Times report released this week revealed that Israeli officials have helped finance an elaborate vote drive over the past three years, spending at least $1 million, that encouraged people to back Israel for political reasons.

The effort featured large billboards in Times Square and targeted messages to supporters. Although the United States does not compete, viewers there can still cast votes because the EBU has opened the poll to audiences worldwide. Netanyahu himself posted on Instagram urging backers in 2025 to vote twenty times for Israel, the maximum allowed.

Israel topped the 2025 public vote across Europe. That vote accounts for half the points, with the rest coming from professional juries. Last year's winner announcement, normally a moment of suspense, became difficult to watch. Thanks in part to the government campaign, Israel surged to the front of the standings. Only low scores from the juries for an otherwise ordinary song prevented this weekend's final from being held in Tel Aviv, an outcome that could have ended the contest in its current form.

Despite these events, only small adjustments have been made to the voting system this year. Viewers anywhere can still submit multiple votes, whether or not they are following the show.

The EBU has found no proof of interference or fraud, yet it strains belief that Israel's modest entries in recent years suddenly drew some of the highest public tallies in contest history. Under present rules, a few hundred people voting repeatedly can sway the result, turning the poll into a tool for organized political support. Viewers simply do not want to watch a contest where one country finishes first each year for these reasons.

Most troubling, after the 2024 and 2025 shows, some Israeli outlets claimed the public vote proved broad backing for the country's stance. Israel's ambassador to Belgium, Idit Rosenzweig-Abu, stated that "the silent majority has spoken again." Yet when supporters of one side vote together while opponents spread their votes across many entries, the outcome does not reflect a true majority view.

Eurovision has been one of the highlights of my years in Europe since I arrived from the United States two decades ago. I grew attached to the event not only for its entertainment value but because it stands out as a successful cultural project created by Europe without American involvement. That is why I have attended the show seven times. This Saturday, like many fans, I will not be watching. I am not staging a boycott. I simply no longer find pleasure in an event that feels scripted and no longer centered on the music.

Dave Keating is a Brussels-based journalist and author of The Owned Continent: How to Free Europe from American Military, Economic and Cultural Dependence