The Netherlands will not participate in next year’s Eurovision Song Contest, its public broadcaster NPO said on Tuesday (October 27, 2026), 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. However, he said, “We must conclude that it is currently too early to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2027. Their most recent winner was Duncan Laurence, whose song Arcade won the contest in 2019, going on to top charts globally.
“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. 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. 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”. The head of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organises the show, said he was “deeply sorry” that the Netherlands would not be taking part.
