Israel to remain in Eurovision Song Contest

Spain and The Netherlands will boycott next year's Eurovision Song Contest, after Israel was allowed to compete. They were among a number of countries who had called for Israel to be excluded over the humanitarian toll of the war in Gaza, and accusations of unfair voting practices. Despite calls for a vote on Israel's participation, members instead approved a new set of rules intended to protect the integrity of the contest. In a statement, Dutch broadcaster Avrotros said that participation under the current circumstances is incompatible with the public values that are essential to us. Spanish broadcaster RTVE added: The board of directors of RTVE agreed last September that Spain would withdraw from Eurovision if Israel was part of it.