Dutch broadcaster pulls out of Eurovision citing Israel "sensitivities"

The Netherlands will not participate in next year's Eurovision Song Contest, Dutch broadcaster NPO has said, citing "sensitivities" over Israel's participation.

NPO had stepped in when AVROTROS, which had previously selected the Dutch entry and broadcast the show, pulled out, saying the event could "no longer be considered neutral" due to the war in Gaza.

Earlier this month, the Czech public broadcaster also pulled out, but it cited spending cuts as the reason.

Ireland had already announced it would not be taking part. Meanwhile, the head of the Spanish public broadcaster RTVE, José Pablo López, has come out in favor of a boycott.

Announcing their decision, NPO media director Jurre Bosman said:

"We have known for some time that Israel's participation elicits various reactions in society and causes discussion and division... therefore, after consultation with the Board of Broadcaster, the NPO has decided to forgo participation in 2027."

"We must conclude that it is currently too early to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2027," added Jet De Ranitz, NPO's executive chairman, acknowledging this would disappoint many Dutch Eurovision fans. He also stressed that the contest would still be aired on the public channels.

"Due to the sensitivities surrounding the themes currently at play, we have decided to take a step back for the time being."

The 2027 contest will take place in Burgas, Bulgaria, with the Grand Final being held at Arena Burgas on May 15. The semi-finals will take place on May 11 and 13.

The Netherlands was among the five countries who boycotted the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest, also including Ireland, Spain, Slovenia and Iceland.

In August, Eurovision announced a new rule where winners of the contest are barred from hosting the event if an "armed conflict" or a "sensitive" geopolitical situation is affecting their state or neighbouring countries.