The Netherlands, ready to join Eurovision, Boycott over Israel

The Dutch public operator Avrotros has confirmed that the Netherlands will also boycott the Eurovision Song Contest next year if Israel participates.

Follows an Irish television operator RTé, saying Will not participate if Israel does it “Given the ongoing and terrifying loss of life in Gaza.”

Eurovision will be held next in May 2026 in Vienna afterwards Austrian singer JJ won this year After the nail bites were completed, he saw him remove Israel from the position of the pole at the last moment.

In statement Which sounded RTé, Avrotros said that this could no longer justify Israel’s inclusion “given the continued and severe human suffering in Gaza” and “the serious erosion of print freedom”.

He continued: “Human suffering, the suppression of print freedom and political intervention contradicts the values ​​of public broadcast.”

The Dutch operator continued to quote the ban on the Israeli ban on international media from entering the Gaza war, as well as “many victims among journalists.”

Friday Irish musician and songwriter Phil Kroter called on the United Kingdom to withdraw from Eurovision 2026 if Israel participated.

So far, the BBC – the UK TV operator – declined to comment.

G -C Coulter said he was “100% behind RTé” in his decision to withdraw from the competition and that people in the UK and Ireland are “disgusting with what is happening in Gaza.”

Coulter has written or co -authored several Eurovision songs, including the winning song of the United Kingdom since 1967, Puppet on a String, which singer Jade Tirrouol took last year.

RTé said it would make a final decision after the Eurovision Organizer, the European Union for Broadcasting (EBU), did so.

Earlier this year, more than 70 former Eurovision athletes signed a letter calling for organizers to ban Israel from the competition in 2025.