Israel and Hamas are preparing for an exchange of hostages and prisoners, paving the way for a ceasefire. American President Donald Trump has said the hostages held by Hamas will be returned by “Monday or Tuesday.” And Israeli leaders are said to be meeting to approve a cease-fire agreement that would take effect on Friday.
The situation is moving quickly and things could fall apart. But if a ceasefire takes hold and lasts, that won’t change the decision of Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS to withdraw from Eurovision 2026 if Israel participates.
That’s according to a report published today by Dutch newspaper AD.nl.
Ceasefire won’t impact The Netherlands’ decision to withdraw if Israel participates in Eurovision 2026
“Our decision about participation in [Eurovision] 2026 was made carefully and deliberately, based on the events of this year, proven facts and verified reports,” an AVROTROS spokesman told AD.
“If a ceasefire is reached in the near future or the conflict evolves differently, that will not change our position for [Eurovision] 2026. We will reassess participation in subsequent years, depending on the circumstances at that time.”
The broadcasters comments come ahead of a crucial vote in early November during which members of the European Broadcasting Union will vote on whether to exclude Israel from the competition.
Breaking news – the vote was just called off. As expected. Bye bye Netherlands.
I think this is just Netherlands looking for a way out after bad results but without wanting to say so.
If your concern is the war, the war is over now.
What planet are you on? Bad results. 9th in 2013, 2nd in 2014, 11th place in 2016 & 2017, winning in 2019, 11th again in 2022 if DQ in 2024 didn’t happen Top 5 in 2024 easily and 12th place this year in Basel. Since 2013 bar 2015, 2021 and 2023. When The Netherlands Qualified for the Final they were left hand side (Top 12/13) each time. How is that bad results.
Isn’t that enough with the drama?…
It may be for the best. There’s no love lost, on either side. The EBU has found the Netherlands difficult and for Dutch fans the Eurovision magic has waned since the 2024 scandal.
Still, the Dutch music scene deserves some international attention, as it has been absolutely thriving in recent years. There is far more to discover than what is sent to Eurovision.
Are you also going to roll on the floor and hold your breath?
Just go, just go away,
I know that’s what you come here for,
Just leave us behind to face another day
Seriously, Avrotros can’t have it both ways. Pretend like it’s playing along on the condition that the outcome suits its self-professed moral and ethical standards. As I said many times before, my personal view is that Israel should stay out of 2026, but if it does somehow ends up in it, I won’t boycott the contest in any shape or form and don’t need any lectures or grandstanding from anyone.
for me it wont be a big loss because most of the time i dont like the dutch entry i mean i loved 2023 i thought it was so beautiful in the studio and i did like 2018 2016 2014 2010 and 2007 and 2005 but most of the time i dont and so for me i would rather Isreal competes and the Dutch withdraw IMO
I want to see those hostages released more than I want to see Eurovision 2026, with or without Israel.
Including the 11,000 Palestinians arbitrarily detained? Or is your humanity selective?
How about 70k killed Palestinians? What do you wish for them and their families?
That they will have a new normal leadership, as they now can have and allready cooperare with Israel to replace in Gaza. A leadership which will actually take care of them instead of investing in weaponry, using them as human shields and taking the aid to themselves; a regime which is now finally much smaller and weaker thqnks to eliminating 10000-15000 of those soldiers while unfortunately around 50000 used as shield by them were also therfore hurt as you pointed. This what everyone – from Gazans themselves via Israel to the whole world – wish for them.
That’s actually a valid point they make. I feel and fear this ceasefire will be used as a bargain tool for the vote, like ” look we have fixed it. Can you keep us in?
But a ceasefire won’t erase all the pain and killing, nor will it erase the voting issues these two years. Who is to say the country won’t use the ceasefire to gain votes in the contest?
I wish EBU could have that damn vote now and not next month, cause my anxiety is already prepared for bad result..
Just go Netherlands please.. im sick of the story.
According to Euronews, Austria won’t host Eurovision in Vienna next year if Israel is removed.
Holding this contest and its fans hostage is disgusting. Israel has allowed this contest to be politicised and the likes of Merz and the Austrian chancellor getting involved to defend them is killing it. These lads have never even watched Eurovision and until now probably seen it as some annual camp joke.
Sorry Germany and Austria but we are NOT responsible for YOUR actions in the past. Stop trauma dumping on the rest of us.
Actually, the evil chancellor who nobody voted for does not get to decide that. Not yet anyway.
Bravo! ?
And they are right, because the problem is not only that the actions committed by the Israeli government and army are horrific, but also that Israel’s mere presence in the contest now has a major impact on the integrity of the televoting. I will say this every time I have the opportunity.
Aside from the assertions made by the EBU and other broadcasters, this competition is primarily a matter between public service broadcasters, rather than nations. To the best of my knowledge, the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation operates entirely independently of the current government. The same government seeks to close it down due to its impartiality and independence on all issues, including government failures. The IPBC is not a mouthpiece for Prime Minister Bibi and has received commendation from the EBU for its neutrality. Similarly, the public broadcasters of Russia and Belarus were suspended because they served as propaganda tools for their… Read more »
BINGO.
Well done AVROTROS!
The ceasefire doesn’t mean that we should all just forget what Israel done and move on. Their actions changed the world, they changed this contest too. I feel changed.
Going by previous experience anyway, Israel will probably break the ceasefire, change the goalposts after initially accepting it to something the other side will not be able to accept etc and we could be back to square one.
There’s no coming back from this. Israel needs to leave
In the same way, we’ve not forgotten the 1500 people who died on October 7, 2023, nor those who have been held captive since that date.
I just want the date of the vote, is that too much to ask for? AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Bye bye Netherlands. It is certain now that there will not be a vote on this issue after the war is over.
It’s only a ceasefire, not actual piece. And Israel is known to break those too..
So Hamas is absolutely innocent here. I believe the many dead victims of 7 October will disagree with that
I’ve never been more proud of our broadcaster, happy we won’t be sharing a stage with them if they still are there! I can def skip watchin without us there, first time in over a decade that will be happening.
Apart from what is happening in Gaza and the West Bank, Israel also created an unfair and unsafe environment for other delegations and staff before and during Eurovision 2024 and 2025. That alone should have been enough to disqualify them – but say that out loud, and you’ll be accused of anti-Semitism, as always.
Again, this is not a political contest and is between broadcasters not countries
I hope AVROTROS is not the only sane and exemplary broadcaster.
I hope all broadcasters who decided to withdraw if Israel participates will do so.
Israel can’t continue participating until a free Palestinian State is established.
Trump and other fascists claim they achieved peace today. But as the old saying goes, there is never real peace without justice. No real peace and freedom can exist as long as Palestinians live under the occupation of Israel.
The Netherlands should not have been allowed to this year eurovision song contest after what Joost carry on and way he treated everyone so yes you wouldn’t be missed next year eurovision song contest
The Swedish police dropped Joost’s case due to lack of evidence, suggesting the incident wasn’t particularly serious.
What does Joost even have to do with others, as if every Dutch person is responsible for his behavior?
Even if it wasn’t serious in police terms Joey, it clearly was in the terms of the contest. You shouldn’t threaten a woman (or anyone, in fact) for just doing their job. If you can’t stand the heat, keep out of the kitchen. As Bucks Fizz sang.
Her job was to not bother the artists. She did not manage it..
And she never felt threatened. She said so to the police; which is why there was no case
What Joost may have done is ten time worse than what the Israeli defense force has done in Gaza of course ;((((
I love wiwi still put the 2024 entry as a photo in every dutch article. This shows how irrelevant C’est la vie is.
Part of me kinda wishes they did put Claude though
It’s less about relevance and more about consolation due to the disqualification, I think
The Dutch broadcaster is really exemplary work on this issue.
Avro-Tros has the courage showing balls again on this matter.
After the disgrace of ESC 24 and all the inhumane things happening in the G@za strip caused by h@n@s and the IDF, its time a broadcaster is still standing up.
We wait for other international organisations doing the same.
Enough= enough
And hope and prayers the current cease=fire wil keep up, rebuilding of the destroyed areas in g@za and healing the deep wounds in all peoples inflicted by this horrible conflict.
An Eurovision isnt that important after all.
PEACE
Halleluia, ein bißchen Frienden.
Right. A “ceasefire” is great, don’t get me wrong, but ending the cruel and inhumane slaughter of innocent civilians is just the start. Retribution should follow. Bibi to The Hague.
I am all in for a reckoning and accountability from the Israeli leadership, but realistically Bibi will never end up in the Hague. I wonder why The Netherlands has been so keen to blur its responsibility for the war crimes it committed during the Indonesian revolution of 1948-1949 and other colonial massacres. I suggest we don’t go down that path. I’m personally against Israel’s participation in 2026 and don’t believe the ceasefire and the return of the hostages washes everything else away, but I wouldn’t start comparing crimes and punishment cases.
Dont forget to mention the French eind 18th century after their revolutions reshaping Europe in their conquest after their revolution or the Spanish 2 centuries earlier.
The Portugese, the British in their colonial hunt.
Last but not least the Belgium King Leopold 2nd in Congo.
Well well and we had the Romans, the Greek, the Vikings, the Russians, the Chinese, the USA etc and so fort und so weiter.
“In wars unfortunately innocent humans get k!illed”.
lets Unite by music………………………
Because they have done it, massacres and being a barbarian is fine for us as well… your logic is sad
There’s a difference in seeking justice for events of colonial events from decades or centuries ago, and seeking justice for current events. This murderer is still at large. His victims not cold in the ground, their grieving families still actively mourning. Not to mention that if a court serves justice, they will feel acknowledged and less likely to exact their own revenge on Israeli citizens.
USA will never allow that. They only allow The Hague authority when it comes to countries like Serbia and Milosevic.
George W Bush belongs in the Hague too. A long list.
Exactly.
Yeah, even Putin got carte-blanche from them