Netherlands to join Ireland in Eurovision boycott if Israel competes
The Cradle | September 13, 2025
The Netherlands will boycott the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest if Israel is included, Dutch public broadcaster AVROTROS announced on 12 September.
The decision brings the country in line with Slovenia, Iceland, Spain, and Ireland, which have already declared they will not take part should Israel remain on the line-up.
In its statement, AVROTROS said the event “was founded in 1956 to bring people together after a period of deep division and war.”
While music had always been the contest’s unifying force, it added, the broadcaster could “no longer justify Israel’s participation in the current situation, given the ongoing and severe human suffering in Gaza.”
The Dutch broadcaster also raised concerns about media restrictions, alleging there was “proven evidence of interference by the Israeli government” during the 2025 edition.
It accused Israel of using the contest “as a political instrument”. It argued that “human suffering, the suppression of press freedom and political interference are at odds with the values of public broadcasting.”
Earlier this week, Ireland’s RTÉ declared that its participation would be “unconscionable” while Israel continues its assault on Gaza, enforces a crippling blockade that results in a man-made famine.
The Irish broadcaster said it was disturbed by “the targeted killing of journalists in Gaza, the denial of access to international journalists to the territory and the plight of the remaining hostages.”
Dublin has also joined South Africa’s case at the International Court of Justice, accusing Israel of committing genocide.
Spanish Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun voiced similar concerns, telling La hora de La 1 on TVE that “we cannot normalize Israel’s participation in international events as if nothing is happening.”
He described Israel as a “genocidal government” and warned that if the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) fails to act, “measures will have to be taken.”
The EBU has extended its penalty-free withdrawal deadline to December, with a final decision on Israel’s participation expected at its General Assembly.
The 70th anniversary contest is scheduled to take place in Vienna, with the finale on 16 May 2026.
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From the Archives
The lies about the 1967 war are still more powerful than the truth
By Alan Hart | June 4, 2012
In retrospect it can be seen that the 1967 war, the Six Days War, was the turning point in the relationship between the Zionist state of Israel and the Jews of the world (the majority of Jews who prefer to live not in Israel but as citizens of many other nations). Until the 1967 war, and with the exception of a minority of who were politically active, most non-Israeli Jews did not have – how can I put it? – a great empathy with Zionism’s child. Israel was there and, in the sub-consciousness, a refuge of last resort; but the Jewish nationalism it represented had not generated the overtly enthusiastic support of the Jews of the world. The Jews of Israel were in their chosen place and the Jews of the world were in their chosen places. There was not, so to speak, a great feeling of togetherness. At a point David Ben-Gurion, Israel’s founding father and first prime minister, was so disillusioned by the indifference of world Jewry that he went public with his criticism – not enough Jews were coming to live in Israel.
So how and why did the 1967 war transform the relationship between the Jews of the world and Israel? … continue
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