Netherlands pulls out of Eurovision 2027 over concerns about Gaza

The Netherlands will not take part in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2027, Dutch public broadcaster AVROTROS has said, citing concerns over the impact of the conflict in the Middle East on the event’s neutrality.

AVROTROS said on Monday the contest could no longer be considered neutral while a participating country remained involved in a large-scale military conflict.

The broadcaster said it had spent the past year calling on the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organizes Eurovision, to introduce transparent rules governing the participation of countries involved in military conflicts.

However, AVROTROS said recently announced changes by the EBU had not provided enough confidence that the contest’s independent and neutral character had been restored.

Its decision, it said, was consistent with its values of “trustworthiness, independence and humanity.”

AVROTROS also pointed to the humanitarian suffering in Gaza and restrictions on press freedom as factors that had contributed to growing divisions around Eurovision.

It said five countries had decided not to participate in the 2026 contest, while former winners had returned their trophies and more than 1,000 musicians and cultural professionals had signed an open letter calling on the EBU to intervene.

The broadcaster said the developments highlighted the need for a clear framework explaining when a country involved in a military conflict can take part in a contest that is intended to remain neutral.

“The Eurovision Song Contest was originally created to bring people and countries together,” AVROTROS director-general Taco Zimmerman said in a statement.

“It is undeniable that international conflicts are increasingly affecting the Contest, undermining its neutral character. The Eurovision Song Contest has therefore become a platform for division.”

Israel continues to block agreed quantities of food, medicine, medical supplies, shelter materials and prefabricated homes from entering Gaza, where around 2.4 million Palestinians live, including 2.15 million displaced people, under catastrophic conditions.

Ongoing Israeli violations of the ceasefire have killed 1,286 Palestinians and injured 4,257 others as of Sunday, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

The ministry also said the overall toll from Israel’s war on Gaza since October 2023 had risen to 73,420 killed and 174,369 injured.