The Netherlands will boycott next year’s Eurovision Song Contest if Israel takes part, Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS said on Friday, citing the “ongoing and severe human suffering in Gaza.”

The Dutch joined a growing list of European countries threatening to pull out of the contest, to be held in Vienna, including Ireland and Spain.

“AVROTROS’s participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 will not be possible as long as Israel remains admitted by the EBU,” it said in a statement, referring to the event organizer, the European Broadcasting Union. “If the EBU decides not to admit Israel, AVROTROS will be happy to participate next year.”

On Thursday, seven-time champion Ireland also said it would not take part alongside Israel, days after Spanish Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun said Spain should withdraw from Eurovision if Israel is allowed to participate.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez also said after the last competition in May that Israel should be excluded in the future.

AVROTROS linked its decision to Israel’s campaign in Gaza, as well as what it described as a “serious violation of press freedom” by Israel.

The broadcaster also accused Israel of “proven interference… during the last edition of the Song Contest, with the event being used as a political instrument.”

Eurovision is organized by the EBU in cooperation with its members, national public service broadcasters such as AVROTROS, in over 35 countries.

Austrian singer JJ won this year’s competition, held in Basel in Switzerland, with his hit “Wasted Love,” which blended techno beats with operatic vocals.

Israel has fared well in the two installments of the competition that have taken place since the Hamas onslaught of October 7, 2023, which sparked the war in Gaza.

Israel’s contestants reached fifth place in the 2024 competition and second place in 2025, with their success relying in large part on votes from the audience rather than the juries.

Both times, Israel’s delegations were under heavy protection by Israeli and local forces due to the threat of attacks over the war in Gaza.