Netherlands joins threatened Eurovision boycott over Israel

The Netherlands may also boycott the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 if Israel is allowed to compete, the public broadcaster that manages Dutch participation in the annual event said on Friday.

"AVROTROS can no longer justify Israel's participation in the current situation, given the ongoing and severe human suffering in Gaza," the organization said after four other countries threatened to stay away from next year's edition in Vienna.

The broadcaster's statement also cited Israel's "serious erosion of press freedom," the exclusion of international independent reporters from the Gaza war zone, and the many casualties among journalists.

The Netherlands joins Ireland, Slovenia, Spain and Iceland in weighing its participation in the contest. The issues is being hotly debated in many other participating countries.

According to the Dutch broadcaster, the Israeli government is said to have exerted influence at the contest in Basel in 2025, where, it said, the event was used as a "political instrument."

Officially, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the association of European broadcasters, is the organizer and therefore responsible for admitting countries.

The Netherlands has indicated that it will participate in 2026 if the EBU decides not to admit Israel, according to the broadcaster.

The Austrian broadcaster ORF, as host of the 2026 contest, would welcome Israel's participation, its director general Roland Weissmann said at the beginning of September.

ORF's foundation board also recently recommended that Weissmann continue to represent this position.