Several European countries have announced their withdrawal from Eurovision 2026 after threatening to do so before a European Broadcast Union (EBU) vote earlier on Thursday, granting Israel permission to participate in the singing competition.

Among these countries are Spain, Ireland, Slovenia, and the Netherlands.

“This decision follows a careful and extensive deliberation process in which we consulted a broad range of stakeholders: from the Israeli ambassador to Amnesty International, from the EBU to several European public broadcasters, as well as our own Association Council, Works Council, Supervisory Board, and the many thousands of Eurovision fans who reached out to us,” Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS wrote in a statement. 

The vote over whether Israel will be allowed to participate in next year’s contest, which is set to take place in Vienna, followed weeks of debate and threats of withdrawal from several member broadcasters.

“After weighing all perspectives, AVROTROS concludes that, under the current circumstances, participation cannot be reconciled with the public values that are fundamental to our organisation. This decision was taken in close coordination with the Dutch Public Broadcasting (NPO), which respects and supports the conclusions we have drawn” the broadcasting company added.