The Eurovision Song Contest slogan is "United By Music," but the music competition's organizers are seeing some cracks in that unity. A discordant note has been struck in that unity over Israel's participation in the contest over the war between Israel and Hamas and the humanitarian crisis it precipitated. Four European nations say they will not take part in the popular international song competition next year after Israel was cleared to participate. State broadcasters in the Netherlands, Ireland, Spain and Slovenia cited the ongoing war in Gaza as their reason for withdrawing. The war started after Hamas launched a surprise terrorist attack in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, that killed roughly 1,200 Israelis and took about 251 people hostage. Israel responded by declaring war, vowing to eradicat

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