Dutch public broadcaster AVROTROS announced Monday that it will boycott the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest in protest over Israel’s continued participation and against the backdrop of the war in Gaza. The broadcaster is continuing the position it took this year, when it stayed out of Eurovision 2026 because of its opposition to Israel’s participation.
1+According to Reuters, the Dutch broadcaster argued that the European Broadcasting Union still lacks sufficiently clear rules regarding the potential suspension of countries involved in military conflicts. AVROTROS also claimed that changes introduced by the EBU following the controversy surrounding Israel have failed, in its view, to restore the competition’s “independent and neutral” character. The decision marks the second consecutive year in which AVROTROS has chosen to boycott Eurovision over Israel’s participation. Ahead of the 2026 contest, the broadcaster also adopted a hard line against Israel and ultimately followed through on its threat after the EBU allowed the Jewish state to remain in the competition.
1+The announcement does not necessarily mark the end of the Netherlands’ participation in the contest altogether. AVROTROS said it is returning responsibility for the decision to NPO, the umbrella organization for Dutch public broadcasting. That leaves open the theoretical possibility that another Dutch broadcaster could take responsibility for participating in the competition.
The move follows continued controversy among several European broadcasters over Israel’s participation in the most recent Eurovision. The Netherlands was among the countries that boycotted the 2026 competition after the decision not to exclude Israel. AVROTROS is now making clear that, from its perspective, the changes introduced since then are still insufficient to alter its position.