Iceland has joined Spain, Ireland, Slovenia and the Netherlands in saying it will boycott the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest.
All five countries have withdrawn after Israel's participation in the competition was officially confirmed last week.
The Icelandic National Broadcasting Service (RÚV) has decided not to participate in the Eurovision song contest in Vienna, Austria, next year, a statement said after an RÚV board meeting on Wednesday.
Participation of Israeli national broadcaster, KAN, in the contest has created disunity among both members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the general public.
The board meeting came hours before the deadline for countries to confirm whether they will join what's supposed to be a celebratory 70th anniversary edition of the song contest next May.
Israel's presence at Eurovision has been an increasing source of tension, because of the war in Gaza and concerns about the voting and campaigning processes, including accusations that Israel's government tried to influence the public vote at this year's event.
The Icelandic broadcaster said that while new measures to protect the vote's integrity were approved at a recent EBU summit, it believes that there are still doubts whether the agreed adjustments would be fully satisfactory.
Public opinion in Iceland means participation would neither be a source of joy nor peace, leading to the decision to withdraw.
