Netherlands will withdraw from Eurovision 2026 if Israel participates
AVROTROS: "We can no longer justify Israel's participation under the current circumstances, which goes against the contest's core values"
Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS has announced that they will withdraw from the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 if Israel remains in the competition. The broadcaster has linked their decision to the contest’s core values of peace, equality, and respect.
AVROTROS explained that it has held talks with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and other broadcasters in recent months about the future of the contest. During these discussions, the broadcaster questioned whether Israel could still take part under the current circumstances.
– We can no longer justify Israel’s participation under the current circumstances, AVROTROS said in its official statement.
Three main reasons
The broadcaster points to three main reasons for its stance:
The human suffering in Gaza
The restriction of press freedom, including the exclusion of international media and deaths among journalists
Political interference by the Israeli government in the most recent contest
According to AVROTROS, these issues go against the apolitical nature of the contest and conflict with the values of a public broadcaster.
AVROTROS has made it clear that it will not take part in Eurovision 2026 as long as Israel is admitted by the EBU under the present conditions. If the EBU decides not to admit Israel, the Netherlands will participate. Preparations are continuing as usual until a final decision is made.
The EBU is expected to discuss Israel’s participation at its General Assembly in December.
Statement from AVROTROS
AVROTROS LINKS EUROVISION 2026 PARTICIPATION TO CORE VALUES
Human suffering, the suppression of press freedom and political interference are at odds with the values of public broadcasting.
In recent months, AVROTROS has engaged in regular consultations with the EBU and other European public broadcasters regarding the future and nature of the Eurovision Song Contest. These discussions have also given extensive consideration to whether Israel can be represented under the current circumstances.
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.
AVROTROS can no longer justify Israel’s participation in the current situation, given the ongoing and severe human suffering in Gaza. The broadcaster also expresses deep concern about the serious erosion of press freedom: the deliberate exclusion of independent international reporting and the many casualties among journalists. In addition, there is proven evidence of interference by the Israeli government during the most recent edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, in which the event was used as a political instrument. This runs counter to the apolitical nature of the Contest. These circumstances are incompatible with the values represented by AVROTROS as a public broadcaster.
The broadcaster has therefore decided that participation by AVROTROS in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 will not be possible as long as Israel is admitted by the EBU. Should the EBU decide not to admit Israel, AVROTROS will gladly take part next year. Pending that decision, all preparations will for the time being continue as planned.
The Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest
The Netherlands has historically been one of the 10 most successful Eurovision countries.
They have participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 65 times since their debut in 1956, with five victories:
- 1957: Corry Brokken – Net Als Toen
- 1959: Teddy Scholten – Een Beetje
- 1969: Lenny Kuhr – De Troubadour
- 1975: Teach-In – Ding-A-Dong
- 2019: Duncan Laurence – Arcade
The Netherlands came last in the contest 5 times: 1958, 1962, 1963, 1968 and 2011.
Since the introduction of the Semi-finals in 2004, they have qualified for the Grand Final 11 out of 21 times, but only competed in 10 finals, as they were disqualified from Eurovision 2024.
