Brussels, SANA-The Dutch government announced its withdrawal from the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest in protest against Israel’s continued participation, in light of the escalation of the aggression on the Gaza Strip, and the widespread casualties and destruction it has caused.
The Dutch decision came in the context of a growing European wave of rejection, preceded by Ireland, Slovenia, Iceland, and Spain announcing their intention to boycott the competition if the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) does not respond to increasing demands to exclude Israel from the list of participants.
Euronews confirmed that these countries consider the continued participation of the occupation in the competition a blatant disregard for the values upon which Eurovision was founded in 1956, which aim to promote peace, equality, and respect among peoples. This is especially true given that the competition enjoys a wide audience, exceeding 166 million viewers this year.
Slovenian Radio and Television had previously announced its withdrawal from the competition in protest against the “war of extermination” waged by the Israeli occupation against Gaza. Meanwhile, Spanish Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun confirmed that his country had been demanding for months that Israel be excluded from participating, in line with the popular stance rejecting the aggression.
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