Dutch broadcaster pulls out of Eurovision over Israel 'sensitivities'
The Netherlands will not participate in next year's Eurovision Song Contest, its public broadcaster NPO said Tuesday, citing "sensitivities" over Israel's participation.
The Dutch withdrawal is the latest in a series of boycotts from countries unhappy at Israel's inclusion in the annual music festival, given its military campaign in Gaza sparked by the October 7 Hamas attacks.
"We have known for some time that Israel's participation elicits various reactions in society and causes discussion and division," said Jurre Bosman, NPO's media director, in a statement.
"Therefore, after consultation with the Board of Broadcasters, the NPO has decided to forgo participation in 2027," added Bosman.
The Dutch decision brings to an end a series of flip-flops over its participation, highlighting the divisive nature of the debate in the country and more broadly.
In August, the AVROTROS broadcaster, which selects the Dutch entry and broadcasts the show, had pulled out, saying the event can "no longer be considered neutral" given divisions over the Gaza war.
But a month later, NPO stepped in to replace AVROTROS, saying it would take on the responsibility, only to reverse course with its decision on Tuesday.
Jet de Ranitz, NPO's executive chairman, acknowledged their decision would disappoint many Dutch Eurovision fans and stressed that the contest would still be aired on the public channels.
However, De Ranitz said: "We must conclude that it is currently too early to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2027."
"Due to the sensitivities surrounding the themes currently at play, we have decided to take a step back for the time being," added De Ranitz.
- 'Bangaranga' -
In August, organizers announced they were excluding any country involved in an armed conflict from hosting the competition.
But that has not prevented withdrawals, with Ireland already announcing they will not take part and the head of the Spanish public broadcaster also coming out in favor of a boycott.
Earlier this month, the Czech public broadcaster pulled out, but cited spending cuts as the reason.
Next year's contest, the world's biggest live televised music event, will take place on May 15 in Bulgaria's Black Sea city of Burgas.
It will be the first time the Balkan nation has hosted the contest, coming after Bulgarian singer Darina Yotova, known as Dara, won this year's contest in the Austrian capital Vienna with the catchy floor-filler "Bangaranga".
Since its launch in 1955, Eurovision has become the ultimate pop platform, catapulting Swedish icons ABBA to worldwide fame, as well as boosting the likes of Celine Dion, Cliff Richard and Olivia Newton-John.
The 2026 competition was watched by 131 million viewers, down 35 million from the year before after five countries boycotted it over Israel's participation.
The Netherlands, Iceland, Spain, Ireland and Slovenia all pulled out of the 2026 contest -- with the latter three refusing to broadcast the show at all.
The Dutch took part in the very first Eurovision Song Contest back in 1956, and have won on five occasions.
Their most recent winner was Duncan Laurence, whose song Arcade won the contest in 2019, going on to top charts globally.
It became the first Eurovision entry to reach one billion streams on Spotify, according to the Eurovision website.
The head of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organizes the show, said he was "deeply sorry" that the Netherlands would not be taking part.
"We understand their decision, and we respect the strength of feeling behind it in the Netherlands," said Martin Green in a statement.
"At the same time, we believe the Eurovision Song Contest matters in a divided world."
NPO's Bosman said the broadcaster was still talking with the EBU about the future of the contest.
"We are convinced that the event can once again become a place of music and connection, where there is room to make societal themes open for discussion," said Bosman.
Source: Agence France Presse
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