Iceland has joined Spain, Ireland, Slovenia and the Netherlands in announcing it is going to boycott the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest.

All 5 nations have withdrawn after Israel’s participation within the festival used to be formally showed ultimate week.

“Participation of Israeli nationwide broadcaster, Kan, within the contest has created disunity amongst each participants of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and most people,” Icelandic broadcaster RÚV stated in a observation.

Iceland had prior to now indicated it meant to skip the 2026 contest, however sought after to attend till the problem might be mentioned through its board of administrators on Wednesday.

That assembly got here hours earlier than the closing date for nations to verify whether or not they are going to sign up for what is intended to be a celebratory seventieth anniversary version of the track contest in Austria subsequent May.

Israel has taken section in Eurovision since 1973 as a result of Kan, its public broadcaster, is a member of the European Broadcasting Union – which organises the contest.

Israel has received 4 occasions, maximum lately in 2018, and got here 2nd within the 2025 contest.

However, its presence has been an expanding supply of hysteria, as a result of the struggle in Gaza and considerations over the vote casting and campaigning processes, together with accusations that Israel’s executive attempted to steer the general public vote at this 12 months’s match.

A brand new raft of measures to give protection to the integrity of the vote used to be authorized at an EBU summit ultimate week, and then maximum nations showed they might trip to Vienna for the 2026 contest.

However, Spain stated it had determined to withdraw after it requested for a vote on Israel’s participation, which used to be now not authorized. Ireland, Slovenia and the Netherlands additionally pulled out after that summit.

According to a transcript of Thursday’s assembly provided through Kan, the broadcaster’s leader government Golan Yochpaz criticised the ones looking to get Israel thrown out.

“The try to take away Kan from the competition can handiest be understood as a cultural boycott,” he stated. “A boycott might start these days with Israel, however no person is aware of the place it is going to finish or who else it should hurt.

“Is this what we really need this contest to be remembered for on its seventieth anniversary?”

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