Iceland has become the fifth nation to withdraw from the Eurovision Song Contest following the organisers’ decision to allow Israel to compete.
The country joins Spain, Ireland, Slovenia and the Netherlands in boycotting the event after Israel’s participation was confirmed last week, the BBC reports.
Stefan Eiriksson, director-general of Icelandic national broadcaster RÚV, confirmed the move.
“There is no peace or joy connected to this contest as things stand now. On that basis, first and foremost, we are stepping back while the situation is as it is,” he said.
RÚV stated that Israel’s involvement had “created disunity among both members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the general public”.
The broadcaster’s board agreed to withdraw on Wednesday (Thursday AEDT), just hours before the deadline for countries to confirm their place in the competition.
Last week, the general assembly of the EBU – a coalition of public broadcasters from 56 nations responsible for running Eurovision – convened to discuss concerns surrounding Israel’s participation.
Members voted to adopt stricter contest voting rules following allegations Israel had manipulated votes in favour of its entrant, though no action was taken to exclude any broadcaster.
Next year’s contest, scheduled for May in Vienna, is set to mark Eurovision’s 70th anniversary.
The event brings together acts from dozens of nations, including Australia, competing for the title of Europe’s musical champion. While Eurovision encourages a focus on pop over politics, it has frequently been drawn into global events.
Russia was expelled in 2022 after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The war in Gaza has presented one of the biggest challenges in the contest’s history, with pro-Palestinian demonstrators protesting outside the last two Eurovision events – in Basel, Switzerland, in May and in Malmo, Sweden, in 2024.
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