Dutch broadcaster cites “proven interference” by Israeli government in 2025 contest as Vienna faces growing withdrawal threats
Dutch public broadcaster AVROTROS declared on Friday it will not participate in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest if Israel competes, becoming the latest European broadcaster to threaten withdrawal over the ongoing Gaza conflict that has killed at least 64,656 Palestinians.
The announcement came just one day after Ireland’s RTÉ made an identical pledge regarding the Vienna contest scheduled for May, bringing the total number of broadcasters threatening withdrawal to at least six, with Slovenia, Iceland, and Spain having previously announced similar intentions.
AVROTROS stated that Israel’s involvement would be incompatible with the broadcaster’s values, pointing specifically to humanitarian suffering in Gaza, press freedom violations, and what it termed “proven evidence of interference by the Israeli government” during the 2025 contest in Basel.
AVROTROS can no longer justify Israel’s participation in the current situation, given the ongoing and severe human suffering in Gaza,” the broadcaster said in a strongly-worded statement. “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.”
The Dutch organisation went further than other broadcasters by directly accusing Israel of using Eurovision “as a political instrument”, declaring these circumstances incompatible with its values as a public service broadcaster. “Participation by AVROTROS in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 will not be possible as long as Israel is admitted by the EBU,” the statement confirmed.
AVROTROS emphasised that Eurovision was established in 1956 to unite people following war and division, with music serving as a unifying force centred on peace, equality and respect. The broadcaster said it would “gladly take part” if the European Broadcasting Union excludes Israel from the competition.
RTÉ Director General Kevin Bakhurst made Ireland’s position clear on Thursday, stating that “Ireland will not take part in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest if the participation of Israel goes ahead”. The Irish broadcaster declared that competing would be “unconscionable given the ongoing and appalling loss of lives in Gaza”.
“RTÉ is also deeply concerned by the targeted killing of journalists in Gaza, and the denial of access to international journalists to the territory, and the plight of the remaining hostages,” the broadcaster added in its official statement.
The mounting pressure on the European Broadcasting Union comes as the Gaza conflict approaches its second year, with devastating humanitarian consequences. According to the Gaza Health Ministry figures that the UN considers reliable, at least 64,656 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023, with women and children comprising the majority of casualties.
A peer-reviewed analysis published in The Lancet in January 2025 estimated that trauma-related deaths in Gaza had exceeded 70,000 by October 2024, with researchers from Cambridge, Yale, and other universities concluding that official figures likely undercount actual deaths by 41 per cent.
Spanish Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun had previously suggested in May that Israel should be excluded from future contests, stating: “Events like Eurovision bring a certain representation of a country. We cannot normalise Israel’s participation in international events as if nothing is happening.”
Slovenia’s national broadcaster RTVSLO was among the first to signal potential withdrawal, with its director Ksenija Horvat confirming that the broadcaster had reached out to the EBU multiple times with concerns regarding Israel’s participation. Iceland’s public broadcaster RÚV has taken a similar stance, with Director General Stefán Eiríksson warning that Iceland would likely withdraw if the EBU does not revise its position.
The controversy surrounding Israel’s participation has intensified following incidents at recent contests. During the 2024 competition in Malmö, Sweden, thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered outside the venue. Israel’s entrant that year, Eden Golan, finished fifth but was booed on stage and received death threats.
At the 2025 contest in Basel, Israel’s representative Yuval Raphael, who survived the Nova festival massacre on October 7, finished second despite practicing with booing sounds to prepare for hostile audiences. The winner of that contest, Austrian singer JJ, has himself stated he would prefer Eurovision to be held “without Israel” in his home city of Vienna.
Eurovision Director Martin Green acknowledged the “deeply held views around the ongoing conflict in the Middle East” and confirmed that consultations with EBU members are continuing. “Broadcasters have until mid-December to confirm if they wish to take part in next year’s event in Vienna,” Green stated. “We would respect any decision broadcasters make.”
The withdrawals of major contributors could have significant financial implications for the contest. The Netherlands is reportedly the sixth-largest financial contributor after the “Big Five” countries (United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, and Italy). Spain, as one of the Big Five, automatically qualifies for the final and provides substantial funding, making its potential withdrawal particularly consequential.
The EBU previously banned Russia from Eurovision following its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, setting a precedent for excluding countries based on military actions. Critics argue that similar standards should apply to Israel given the scale of civilian casualties in Gaza.
The 70th anniversary Eurovision contest is scheduled for Vienna in May 2026, with semi-finals on May 12 and 14, and the grand finale on May 16. The EBU is expected to make a final decision on Israel’s participation before the end of the year, with countries given a brief window afterwards to confirm or withdraw their participation without financial penalties.
As the December deadline approaches, pressure continues to mount on the EBU to address what has become Eurovision’s most divisive political crisis in its seven-decade history.
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