The Netherlands will not take part in next year’s Eurovision Song Contest following the decision by organiser EBU not to exclude Israel.

Public broadcasting company NPO said no other broadcaster will step in to send a Dutch entry after AvroTros’s withdrawal, although it will ensure the contest is still broadcast for Dutch viewers.

European public broadcasters met at the EBU headquarters in Geneva to discuss the future of Eurovision on Thursday. AvroTros, together with broadcasters from Ireland, Iceland, Spain and Slovenia, had argued that Israel’s public broadcaster should be barred because of the war in Gaza.

AvroTros also said the Israeli government had used the contest as a “political instrument”, pointing to a government-run promotional campaign for the country’s entry.

Israel conducted online campaigns in several countries encouraging people to vote for its entry, which came second last year. In the Netherlands, social media posts by the Israeli embassy featured singer Yuval Raphael speaking in Dutch and urging people to vote for her. The advert also reminded people they could vote 20 times.

“The severe humanitarian suffering in Gaza, the restrictions on press freedom, and the political interference surrounding the most recent edition of the Eurovision Song Contest were incompatible with the values we stand for,” the broadcaster said in a statement.

Spain’s public broadcaster RTVE has also confirmed it will withdraw next year. RTVE is one of Eurovision’s major financial contributors and therefore has a guaranteed place in the final.

Ireland, which has won the contest seven times, will also stay away because of Israel’s participation. Slovenia will not compete either, while Iceland will decide next week.

Universal values

AvroTros director general Taco Zimmerman said the decision “was not taken lightly”.

“Eurovision is very valuable to us,” he said. “Culture unites, but not at any price. What has happened over the past year has pushed us to our limits. Universal values such as humanity and a free press have been seriously violated and are non-negotiable for us.”

The meeting in Geneva took place under considerable pressure, with several EBU members firmly opposed to a boycott, including Germany and Austria. Austria, which will host next year’s contest in Vienna, argued that given its own wartime history it was unthinkable to exclude Israel. Germany, too, opposed a boycott for similar reasons.

EBU members voted in a secret ballot about Israel’s continued participation. The organisation said afterwards that “EBU members show clear support for reforms to reinforce trust and protect neutrality of Eurovision Song Contest, allowing all members to participate”, without mentioning Israel by name.