Vienna, May 12 -- Competition starts Tuesday, May 12, at the Eurovision Song Contest, with divisions over Israel's participation hanging over the 70th birthday of the over-the-top pop music extravaganza.

Host city Vienna has been bedecked in hearts and the contest's "United by Music" motto for a week in which singers and bands from 35 countries will compete onstage for the continent's musical crown. But five countries - Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Iceland - are boycotting to protest Israel's inclusion.

The boycott was largely based on Israel's war crimes in Gaza and allegations that it ran a rule-breaking marketing campaign to get votes for its contestant.

A New York Times report on Monday, May 11, revealed that Israe...