Netherlands withdraws from Eurovision 2027 over Israel's participation, broadcaster says
Dutch public broadcaster NPO has pulled the Netherlands from Eurovision 2027 because of division over Israel's entry, according to a TRT Arabi post on Telegram. The post cites the war in Gaza.
NETHERLANDS — The Dutch public broadcaster NPO has announced that the Netherlands will not take part in the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest, citing controversy over Israel's participation, according to a post by TRT Arabi on Telegram on 27 October 2026.
The post is the only source for this report. It is a social media post and has not been independently verified. Zenga News has not seen a statement from NPO itself.
From the scene, on social media
What the post says
According to TRT Arabi, NPO said the decision was linked to controversy and division surrounding Israel's participation in the contest. The channel did not quote the broadcaster directly in the text of its post.
The post attributes further detail to Yuri Bosman, who it describes as the broadcaster's media director. The name is given here as it appears in the Arabic-language post. According to TRT Arabi, Bosman said the decision was taken after consultation with the council of broadcasting organisations.
TRT Arabi also reported that Bosman pointed to mixed reactions within Dutch society over Israel taking part. The post does not say what those reactions were, who expressed them, or how they were measured.
Earlier withdrawal by Avrotros
The post says another Dutch broadcaster, Avrotros, announced its own withdrawal from the contest in August. According to TRT Arabi, Avrotros said the competition was no longer neutral because of the war in Gaza.
TRT Arabi then reported that NPO took over responsibility for the Dutch entry, and later backed away from it. The post does not explain when NPO assumed that role, what prompted it to reverse course, or how much time passed between the two steps.
What is not confirmed
The post does not say whether the Netherlands has formally notified the European Broadcasting Union, which is not mentioned in the text. It does not say whether the decision can be reversed, or whether other broadcasters are considering similar steps.
It also gives no information on the contest's host country, dates or format for 2027. It does not include a response from Israel's broadcaster or from the contest's organisers.
Readers should treat the account as unconfirmed until NPO, the council of broadcasting organisations or the contest's organisers publish their own statements, or until an established news outlet confirms the details.
Background
According to the TRT Arabi post, the dispute over Israel's place in Eurovision has been a source of friction in the Netherlands for some months. The post links it to the war in Gaza, which Avrotros cited when it said in August that it was leaving the contest.
The post describes a sequence in which responsibility for Dutch participation moved from Avrotros to NPO, and NPO has now also stepped back. The post presents this as the outcome of divided opinion in Dutch society, according to what Bosman is reported to have said.
TRT Arabi is the Arabic-language service of the Turkish public broadcaster TRT. Its post ends with a call for readers to interact with the channel to receive new updates.
Zenga News will update this report if NPO or another source provides a direct statement.
How the story developed
- October 28, 2026Eisenkot says Netanyahu's political career is over as Israel exit polls show tight race
- October 28, 2026Eisenkot says Israel chose change and he will seek to form a government
- October 28, 2026UN inquiry finds age-based persecution of Palestinian children in West Bank
- October 28, 2026Netherlands withdraws from Eurovision 2027 over Israel's participation, broadcaster says
Sources
This report was written from the sources below and checked against at least two of them.
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