Ireland’s state broadcaster, Radio Television Ireland (RTE), has announced that the country will not participate in next year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna unless Israel is barred from entering.

In a statement, RTE expressed that Ireland’s involvement would be “unconscionable” given the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, highlighting concerns over the targeted killings of journalists and the denial of access to international media in the region.

Ireland joins Slovenia as the second country to threaten boycott over Israel’s participation.

Spanish Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun has echoed this sentiment, stating that Spain should also withdraw if Israel is allowed to compete. This aligns with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s stance that Israel should be expelled from the contest similar to Russia’s exclusion due to its actions in Ukraine.

Both RTE and Slovenia’s RTVSLO indicated that discussions with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the organiser of Eurovision are ongoing.

This year’s contest faced public backlash against Israeli contestant Yuval Raphael who won second place despite being jeered during her semi-final performance. Austria’s contestant, JJ, who placed first gas also called for Israel’s exclusion.

Ireland, tied with Sweden for the most Eurovision wins at seven, first raised concerns about Israeli participation with the EBU in May, shortly before the Eurovision finals in Basel. Spain’s RTV had previously called for a debate on the matter in April.

The EBU has extended the deadline for broadcasters to finalise their participation decisions from October to December.

Director of Eurovision Song Contest, Martin Green acknowledged the EBU’s understanding of the concerns surrounding the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and stated that consultations with EBU members are ongoing to address participation and geopolitical tensions.

The conflict in Gaza has resulted in the deaths of at least 64,368 people since October 2023 and hopes for a ceasefire have diminished following an Israeli airstrike targeting senior Hamas leaders in Qatar.

The United Nations’ agency for children reported that 13.5% of children in Gaza are facing “acute malnutrition” due to Israel’s restrictions on aid.