Netherlands Pulls Out of 2027 Eurovision Song Contest Over Israel's Inclusion
The Dutch Public Broadcaster NPO announced it will boycott the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest over Israel's participation, following a similar move by Ireland. Despite the withdrawal, the event will still be broadcast in the Netherlands.
The Dutch Public Broadcaster (NPO) officially announced on Tuesday that the Netherlands will not participate in the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest, citing a boycott over Israel's involvement in the event. According to the broadcaster, the decision was reached following a round of consultations with other media organizations in the country, concluding that there is insufficient support for participating in the upcoming competition. Despite the withdrawal, the contest will still be broadcast in the country as planned through the NOS network, complete with full commentary and a pre-show.
The decision comes just a month after the Netherlands—which also boycotted the 2026 Eurovision amid Israel's participation—had declared its intention to return to the event scheduled to take place in Burgas, Bulgaria. The earlier announcement of a return came after the AVROTROS broadcasting authority, which had historically managed the project, withdrew and handed responsibility back to the NPO, arguing that current circumstances did not align with the organization's values. At the time, the NPO claimed that the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) had made significant changes to the contest rules, agreeing to restore the unifying spirit among European nations.
"We understand that participating in Eurovision evokes mixed feelings in the Netherlands. We explicitly asked the EBU to once again make the unifying nature of the contest a central part of it, acknowledging a period of geopolitical unrest, wars, and polarization," Jet de Ranitz, chair of the NPO executive board, stated at the time, hinting at the controversy surrounding Israel's approval. Under the previously drafted framework, management duties were slated to be split: the selection and mentoring of the representative would be handed over to an independent panel of experts, while the NOS network would continue broadcasting the semi-finals and grand final.
In mid-September, Ireland's public broadcaster RTE also announced its withdrawal from the 2027 Eurovision following Israel's participation, echoing similar sentiments. The Irish broadcaster stated that its position remained unchanged due to deep concerns regarding the lack of access for foreign journalists to the Gaza Strip. The Netherlands last appeared on the Eurovision stage in 2025, when singer Claude finished 12th in the grand final with the song "C'est la vie". A year prior, an unprecedented scandal unfolded when Dutch representative Joost Klein was disqualified hours before the final following an incident with a production worker, which sparked intense online speculation regarding tensions with the Israeli delegation.
