Iceland Becomes the Fifth Country to Back Out of Eurovision

After Spain, Ireland, Slovenia, and the Netherlands withdrew from the Eurovision Song Contest amid controversy surrounding Israeli participation, Iceland’s public broadcaster RÚV announced on Wednesday that the country will not be participating in the multi-national competition next year.  RÚV’s statement said Eiríksson brought up Iceland’s concerns regarding Israel at the EBU’s meeting in Geneva, but that the question was not voted on. The broadcaster faced mounting pressure from artists’ associations and the public to withdraw from Eurovision, it said.