The Netherlands has joined four European nations in pledging to boycott the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest if Israel remains in the line-up, citing concerns over Gaza and press freedom.
Dutch public broadcaster AVROTROS confirmed on Thursday that the Netherlands will boycott next year’s Eurovision Song Contest unless Israel is excluded, adding to mounting pressure on the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) amid the ongoing war in Gaza.
AVROTROS said it could “no longer justify Israel’s participation in the current situation,” referencing “severe human suffering in Gaza” and claiming “proven evidence of interference by the Israeli government” during the 2025 contest. It also raised concerns about press freedom and the use of Eurovision “as a political instrument.”
The Netherlands joins Slovenia, Iceland, Spain and Ireland in announcing conditional boycotts of the 2026 event, set to be held in Vienna in May.
Spain’s Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun said this week that Israel’s participation would “normalise” the ongoing conflict and urged the EBU to act. He described Israel as a “genocidal government” and reiterated calls from Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in May to exclude the country, drawing comparisons with Russia’s 2022 ban following its invasion of Ukraine.
Israel has in the past strongly denied that its actions in Gaza amount to genocide and says they are justified as self defence.
The EBU has extended its deadline for penalty-free withdrawal from the contest to December, when a final decision on Israel’s inclusion is expected. The 70th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest is scheduled to take place in Vienna, with semi-finals on 12 and 14 May and the final on 16 May.
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Israel’s participation in next year’s Eurovision Song Contest will be discussed on Thursday (4 December), as the organising body, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) meet in Geneva to consider whether the country can compete amid threats from some nations to withdraw over the ongoing Gaza war.
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