Netherlands Withdraws From Eurovision Over Israel's Participation

The Dutch public broadcaster NPO officially announced on Tuesday that the Netherlands will not participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2027 as a protest against Israel's involvement. The decision, made after consultations with other Dutch broadcasters, cited a lack of sufficient support for participation.

Despite the withdrawal, the Netherlands will still broadcast the competition through the NOS network, including commentary and a preview program. This move comes just a month after the Netherlands had declared its return to the contest, scheduled to be held in Burgas, Bulgaria. The initial decision to return followed the withdrawal of broadcaster AVROTROS, which cited "current circumstances" as incompatible with the organization's values.

At that time, NPO stated that the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) had made "significant changes" to the rules, aiming to restore unity among European nations. Jet de Ranitz, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of NPO, alluded to the controversy surrounding Israel's participation, noting the need to emphasize the contest's unifying nature during a period of geopolitical unrest.

Under the previously agreed plan, an independent expert team was to select the Dutch representative, while NOS would broadcast the semifinals and final. The Irish broadcaster RTE also announced its withdrawal from Eurovision 2027 last month, citing concerns over foreign journalists' access to Gaza. The Netherlands' last appearance was in 2025, with Claude's song "C'est la vie" reaching 12th place. In 2024, Dutch representative Joost Klein was disqualified shortly before the final following a production crew member's complaint, with unverified reports linking the incident to alleged harassment from the Israeli delegation.