Spain joined Tuesday the group of countries threatening not to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest unless Israel is excluded from the competition over the war in the Gaza Strip.
The Netherlands, Ireland and Slovenia had already taken the same stance. Spain's addition to the list puts more pressure on both Israel and the European Broadcasting Union, which organizes the popular contest.
Spanish public broadcaster RTVE made the decision at a board meeting in Madrid.
The announcement comes as diplomatic ties between Spain and Israel frayed after large protests against the presence of a Israeli-owned cycling team disrupted the Spanish Vuelta race.
Spain's prime minister said Monday that he would like Israel to be banned from sporting events.
The European Broadcasting Union said last week that it was consulting its members on how to “manage participation and geopolitical tensions” around the song contest and would give them until mid-December to decide if they want to participate.
Russia was banned from Eurovision after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but Israel has continued to compete the past two years despite disputes over its participation.
Eurovision’s finale is scheduled to be held in Vienna in May.
Eurovision is the world's largest live televised music event. This year's edition in Basel drew in 166 million viewers across 37 countries.
Austrian singer JJ won that competition, securing Vienna the right to host the 2026 edition.
Ireland, Slovenia, Iceland and the Netherlands have also threatened not to take part in next year's event if Israel does.
Five countries -- Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain -- that make the biggest financial contributions to the EBU get an automatic qualification for the Eurovision final.
The EBU said in July it was launching a consultation with all members of the organisation over the issue of Israel's participation.
It said it would discuss "how we manage participation, geopolitical tensions, and how other organisations have approached similar challenges".
Pro-Palestinian activists protested in Malmo, Sweden in 2024 and in Basel, Switzerland in May over Israel's participation in the contest.