Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain have said they will boycott next year’s Eurovision Song Contest, following the decision to allow Israel to compete.
The response on Thursday came immediately after the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which runs the competition, said there would not be a vote on whether to exclude Israel, despite calls from some countries to do so.
Opponents of Israel’s participation criticise it over its genocidal war on Palestinians in Gaza – which has so far killed at least 70,125 people – and over allegations that it unfairly intervened in the most recent competition to the benefit of its entrant.
In a statement which cleared Israel to take part, the EBU said on Thursday that its members had shown “clear support for reforms to reinforce trust and protect [the] neutrality” of the contest.
The changes, which include the reintroduction of an expanded professional jury at the semifinal stage, aim to discourage governments and third parties from disproportionately promoting songs to sway voters.
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