Netherlands pulls out of Eurovision as organizer votes to keep Israel in 2026 contest
The Netherlands will not take part in next year's Eurovision Song Contest, with Dutch broadcast rights holder AvroTros deciding to boycott the event. The decision was made after the members of the event organizer, the European Broadcast Union (EBU), voted to allow Israel to remain in the 2026 edition of the competition.
It will be the first time in 24 years that the Netherlands does not participate in the popular music competition, but the first time that the decision is political in nature. AvroTros repeated its stance from September in its new statement, released on Thursday. The broadcaster blamed Israel for "the severe humanitarian suffering in Gaza, the suppression of press freedom, and the political interference during the last Eurovision Song Contest," saying those three points "are incompatible" with its fundamental values.
The Dutch media outlet said it would be a violation of "the responsibility we bear as a public broadcaster" to join Israeli broadcaster KAN in Eurovision. "Reliability, independence, and humanity are our guiding principles."
Along with the Netherlands, Spain's RTVE also said it would not participate. The country is one of the five most important Eurovision broadcasters, and is a key sponsor. Ireland and Slovenia also said they would boycot the 2026 event, and Iceland is considering the same. A decision on whether Belgium boycots the event will be left to French broadcaster RTBF, which has territorial rights for next year.
Last week, the EBU tried to address the concerns raised by the Dutch broadcaster, and several others, with several measures aimed at improving the situation. But the issues remained, and were voiced during the EBU meeting on Thursday. AvroTros said several media outlets were worried about Eurovision's ability to remain apolitical and neutral.
"This was not an easy decision, and we did not take it lightly. The Eurovision Song Contest is incredibly valuable to us," said AvroTros head Taco Zimmerman. "Universal values like humanity and a free press have been seriously violated and are non-negotiable for us. Furthermore, last year's political interference demonstrated that the independence and unifying nature of the Eurovision Song Contest can no longer be taken for granted."
The Netherlands has participated in all but four Eurovision Song Contests in the event's 70-year history. The 2001 entry, "Out on My Own," performed by Michelle, was poorly received, leading to the Netherlands missing the following year's event. In 1985, 1991, and 1995, the Netherlands did not take part because the final was organized on May 4. The date is known in the Netherlands as Remembrance Day, when the country honors those who died during wars at home and abroad.
The Israeli embassy in The Hague was critical of the AvroTros decision, saying it does more to exclude the Netherlands than it affects Israel. "The Eurovision Song Contest is meant to be a celebration of music and creativity, and the Dutch broadcaster's decision goes against the values the event represents. Such a boycott is pointless and ultimately only serves to isolate the Netherlands, not Israel."
Israeli-Dutch political lobby CIDI blamed AvroTros for "making it political" instead of valuing Eurovision's pledge to be neutral, said CIDI head Naomi Mestrum. She noted that there is a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and said that Dutch television viewers gave Israel the most points last year.
In forming its position, AvroTros said it spoke to various organizations, including the Israeli ambassador to the Netherlands, Amnesty International, several European public broadcasters, the EBU, and the internal Works Council, Supervisory Board and Association Council. "All things considered, AvroTros concludes that participation under the current circumstances is incompatible with the public values that are essential to us. The decision was made in close consultation with the NPO," the Dutch public broadcasting umbrella organization. The NPO "respects and supports" the decision, AvroTros said.
"We are currently exploring options to still bring the Eurovision Song Contest to Dutch viewers and hope to reconsider this decision soon," the NPO said. Another broadcaster will not take over the tasks to present a Dutch entry.