Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, and Slovenia announced on Thursday that they are withdrawing from the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest after the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) decided to allow Israel to participate.

The decision came during the EBU's winter general assembly meeting in Geneva, where members voted to adopt new contest reforms rather than hold a vote on Israel's participation.

The EBU said a large majority of its members agreed that new rules aimed at strengthening transparency and trust made an additional vote on participation unnecessary, according to the Independent. Members voted 738 in favor of the reforms, with 264 opposed and 120 abstentions.

The new measures include capping votes per person at 10 instead of 20 and bringing back professional juries for semifinal rounds alongside public voting. The EBU also stated it would discourage governments from running public campaigns for their entries.

Spain's national broadcaster RTVE said in a statement that it considers the reforms insufficient and views Israel as using Eurovision for political objectives. RTVE requested a vote on the matter, but the EBU denied this request. The broadcaster will not participate in the 2026 competition or broadcast the event.

The Netherlands' public broadcaster AVROTROS said participation by Israel is incompatible with its responsibilities as a public broadcaster, Euronews reported. AVROTROS Director General Taco Zimmerman stated that universal values like humanity and press freedom have been seriously violated and are non-negotiable for the organization. He referenced that journalists were not permitted to enter Gaza during the conflict.

Ireland's national broadcaster, RTE, said Ireland's participation would remain unconscionable given the loss of lives in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis. The broadcaster will not participate in or air the 2026 contest. Slovenia's national broadcaster RTV SLO argued that Eurovision has become a hostage to the political interests of the Israeli government. In a separate statement about children who died in Gaza, Slovenia announced its withdrawal.

Israel was represented at the assembly by KAN director general Golan Yochpaz and attorney Ayala Mizrachi, who argued against what they described as a cultural boycott. Yochpaz said Kan takes pride in the songs and artists it has sent to Eurovision.

Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar responded to the boycott announcements by saying he is ashamed of countries choosing to boycott a music competition because of Israel's participation. The 2026 Eurovision Song Contest is scheduled to take place in Vienna in May, as per the Times of Israel.

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Ireland, Israel