Ireland’s public broadcaster announced Thursday that the country will not take part in next year’s Eurovision Song Contest if Israel is participating.

Last year’s Eurovision — the international song contest organized by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) — was overshadowed by protests over Israel’s participation in the contest while its military conducts an onslaught in the Gaza Strip.

In a statement, RTÉ said that Ireland’s participation in a contest alongside Israel “would be unconscionable given the ongoing and appalling loss of lives in Gaza.”

“RTÉ is also deeply concerned by the targeted killing of journalists in Gaza, and the denial of access to international journalists to the territory, and the plight of the remaining hostages,” the statement said.

Ireland has been one of the EU’s fiercest critics of Israel’s huge military retaliation following the Hamas attack of Oct. 7, 2023 that killed some 1,200 people, most of them civilians. Israel shuttered its embassy in Dublin last December in protest against Ireland’s decision to recognize Palestinian statehood, as accusations of genocide in Gaza intensified.

At a general assembly of the EBU in July, a number of members raised concerns about Israel’s participation in the 2026 competition, which is due to take place in Vienna in May.

Slovenia and Spain have also threatened to pull out of the competition if Israel participates.

In a statement in July, the EBU said it would hold a “structured and in-depth” dialogue with member broadcasters on how to “manage participation, geopolitical tensions, and how other organizations have approached similar challenges.”

The EBU said it would “report back with recommendations this autumn.”

A decision on Ireland’s participation in the contest will be finalized once the EBU makes its decision about Israel’s participation, RTÉ said.

Israel’s public broadcaster KAN has said that the country is preparing to participate next May in Austria, and “is meticulous in fully complying with the rules of the competition and will continue to do so.”