The Netherlands added itself Friday to a list of countries pressuring organizers of the Eurovision Song Contest to drop Israel from the contest because of its war in the Gaza Strip.

The Netherlands follows Ireland in saying it can "no longer justify Israel's inclusion" in the event.

Past Irish Eurovision participants have spoken out in support of RTÉ's position that Ireland will not take part in the 2026 contest if Israel is allowed to compete.

LONDON (AP) — The Netherlands added itself Friday to a list of countries pressuring organizers of the Eurovision Song Contest to drop Israel from the contest because of its war in the Gaza Strip.Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS, one of dozens of public broadcasters that collectively fund and broadcast the contest, said it would not take part in next year's competition in Vienna if Israel participates “given the ongoing and severe human suffering in Gaza.” “The broadcaster also expresses deep concern about the serious erosion of press freedom: the deliberate exclusion of independent international reporting and the many casualties among journalists,” it said in a statement.Irish broadcaster RTE released a similar statement Thursday, following a path already taken by Slovenia. Iceland said it may withdraw from the contest and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has called for Israel to be booted from the competition.The European Broadcasting Union, which runs the contest, said it was consulting its members on how to…

Eurovision is facing its biggest political storm in decades as several national broadcasters threaten to withdraw if Israel is allowed to compete.