Netherlands threatens Eurovision 2026 boycott over Israel’s participation

The Netherlands may boycott the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest if Israel is allowed to participate, declared public broadcaster AVROTROS, which manages the Dutch entry in the annual event, CE Report quotes ATA.

“AVROTROS can no longer justify Israel’s participation under the current circumstances, given the ongoing severe human suffering in Gaza,” the organization stated, after four other countries threatened to withdraw from next year’s edition in Vienna.

The broadcaster’s statement also mentioned “the serious erosion of press freedom” by Israel, the exclusion of independent international journalists from the Gaza war zone, and the deaths of journalists.

The Netherlands joins Ireland, Slovenia, Spain, and Iceland in reconsidering their participation in the contest.

The issue has become the subject of heated debate in many other participating countries.

According to the Dutch broadcaster, the Israeli government exerted influence over the 2025 Basel contest, where, it claimed, the event was used as a “political tool.”

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

According to the broadcaster, the Netherlands has declared it will take part in 2026 only if the EBU decides not to admit Israel.