The Dutch public broadcaster Avrotros announced this Thursday that it will not participate in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest, following the decision to allow Israel’s presence in the contest despite the humanitarian situation in Gaza, which it considers incompatible with the values that the network claims to defend, such as respect for human rights.
The network warned that Israel’s continuity in the competition, despite complaints of political interference in the latest editions of the festival, the restriction of press freedom and the “humanitarian suffering” in Gaza, exceeds “the limits” that it is willing to accept as a “public service.”
“It has not been an easy decision nor one taken lightly. The Eurovision Song Contest is very valuable to us. Culture unites, but not at any price. What happened this last year has tested our limits. Universal values such as humanity and freedom of the press have been seriously violated and, for us, are non-negotiable,” said the general director of Avrotros, Taco Zimmerman.
Furthermore, he explained that last year’s “political interference” showed that “the independence and inclusive nature of the festival can no longer be taken for granted,” and stressed that, due to its “essential values” as a public broadcaster, Avrotros has “the responsibility to remain faithful to them even when it is difficult or delicate.”
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Avrotros itself will also not broadcast Eurovision in 2026, although it assures that the Dutch public broadcasting corporation NPO “will ensure that the festival remains available” to the Dutch public.
In its explanation, the network assures that it has reached the decision “after an exhaustive process” in which it consulted “a wide range of actors”, including the Israeli ambassador himself, human rights organizations such as Amnesty International, European public radio and television stations and even “the thousands of festival followers who contacted” the network.
“After weighing everything, Avrotros concludes that, under current circumstances, participation is not compatible with the public values it considers essential,” he added.
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Avrotros and four other public broadcasters – from Ireland, Iceland, Spain and Slovenia – advocated the exclusion of Israel due to the war in Gaza. The Dutchwoman said in September that Israeli involvement “could no longer be justified in the face of continued grave human suffering” and the ceasefire declared in Gaza since October did not change that position.
The network also accused Israel of using Eurovision as a “political instrument,” pointing to a promotional campaign by the Israeli Government to support its representative, something that “goes against the apolitical nature of the festival.”
The Netherlands was already at the center of tensions in 2024, when its Eurovision representative, Joost Klein, was disqualified in the semi-final and not allowed to perform his song ‘Europapa’ after a festival team member lodged a complaint over a backstage incident.
This occurred after several tensions with the Israeli delegation then present in Malmö (Sweden). The Swedish Prosecutor’s Office closed the case against Klein months later due to lack of evidence.
With information from EFE
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