Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS has announced it will boycott Eurovision 2026 if Israel is included in the competition.
- READ MORE: Eurovision 2024 – fans and boycotters speak: “This is bigger than the contest”
Today (September 12), the broadcaster announced that the Netherlands will not participate in the Eurovision Song Contest next year if Israel is included in the competition, and would only partake on the basis that the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) does not admit Israel.
In a statement, AVROTROS said it had engaged in consultations with the EBU and other public broadcasters in recent months about the contest’s future and Israel’s participation.
“The Eurovision Song Contest was founded in 1956 to bring people together after a period of deep division and war. Since its inception seventy years ago, music has been at the heart of the Contest as a unifying force, with peace, equality, and respect as its core values,” it read.
It continued to say that the broadcaster could “no longer justify Israel’s participation in the current situation, given the ongoing and severe human suffering in Gaza”.
A recent report by The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) confirmed that a famine is taking place in Gaza, going on to acknowledge that the situation was “entirely man-made”. Several aid organisations have also accused Israel of “systematic obstruction” when it comes to food entering the Gaza Strip.
Since Hamas’ attack on Israeli citizens at the Nova Music Festival on October 7, 2023 – in which over 1,100 people were killed and 250 taken as hostages – multiple UN human-rights experts and UN bodies have stated that Israel’s military actions in Gaza may amount to genocide, and the International Court of Justice has found claims of genocide plausible.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, over 61,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023. Israel rejects the genocide accusations and denies committing any war crimes, maintaining that its operations are lawful acts of self-defence.
The strongly worded statement from AVROTROS also cited concerns about press freedom, and alleged there was “proven evidence of interference by the Israeli government” during the 2025 contest, and claimed Israel had used the event “as a political instrument”.
The news follows a similar announcement by RTÉ earlier this week, wherein Director General Kevin Bakhurst said Ireland’s involvement would be “unconscionable given the ongoing and appalling loss of lives in Gaza”, while also raising concerns about the targeting of journalists and denial of media access to Gaza.
The broadcaster previously called for a discussion over Israel’s involvement in this year’s song contest, with the country competing with singer Yuval Raphael, who eventually finished second in the contest.
The Spanish Prime Minister also called for Israel to be barred from the competition going forward, which came after 70 former Eurovision contestants signed an open letter calling for Israel and national broadcaster KAN to be banned from the 2025 contest.
This year’s winner, JJ, has since called for Israel to be banned from the competition in 2026.
In a previous comment to NME, Director of the Eurovision Song Contest, Martin Green CBE, said: “The EBU is an association of public service broadcasters, not governments. We remain in constant contact with all participating broadcasters of the Eurovision Song Contest, including RTVE in Spain, and take their concerns seriously.
“Now that the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 has concluded we will have a broad discussion with all participating broadcasters, to reflect and obtain feedback on all aspects of this year’s event as part of our planning process for the 70th Eurovision Song Contest next year.”
Israel’s inclusion came despite Russia being banned from the contest since 2022 due to its ongoing conflict with Ukraine.
In 2024, Ireland’s Eurovision entry Bambie Thug was also forced to change their pro-Palestine message by the competition’s organisers.
As noted by Deadline, the likes of Spain, Slovenia, and Iceland have also said they would likely boycott the event should Israel be allowed to participate, with the EBU set to make a final decision regarding Israel’s participation by the end of the year.
