Belgian Artists Outraged Over ’Israel’s’ Eurovision Entry

By Staff, Agencies

A group of 170 Belgian artists and cultural figures has criticized public broadcaster RTBF for proceeding with participation in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest while "Israel" is also set to compete, despite what they described as the Israeli “war of extermination” in Gaza.

In a joint letter, the signatories said they reacted “with dismay” after learning on Dec. 4 of "Israel’s" planned participation in the 2026 contest, according to Belgium’s La Libre daily.

The letter was signed by prominent cultural personalities, including actress and director Yolande Moreau, filmmaker Thierry Michel, comedian Florence Mendez, and actor David Murgia.

The artists drew a contrast between the European Broadcasting Union’s response to the war in Ukraine and its stance on Gaza.

They noted that the EBU “excluded Russia … in less than 48 hours following the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022” but has “refused to exclude 'Israel' despite the continuation of its war of extermination waged against the Palestinian people.”

They also criticized RTBF and its Flemish counterpart VRT, jointly responsible for selecting Belgium’s Eurovision entry, for choosing to remain in the competition. According to the letter, “This is a serious breach of the ethical and moral obligations of public channels.”

The signatories further accused "Israel" of instrumentalizing cultural platforms for political purposes, stating that for years "Israel" has used major artistic and cultural events for propaganda purposes with a view to forgetting its entity of occupation, colonization and apartheid against the Palestinian people.”

Allowing "Tel Aviv" to take part in Eurovision, they argued, “allows "Israel" to maintain the illusion that it would be a modern and exemplary Western democracy, and therefore to more easily conceal its criminal action.”

The letter concluded by urging RTBF “to honor its public service mission by canceling its participation in the 2026 edition of Eurovision as long as a State trampling underfoot the very foundations of our common humanity is welcome.”

Irish singer Charlie McGettigan, 1994 Eurovision winner, said he will return his trophy to protest "Israel’s" participation, joining Swiss artist Nemo. McGettigan announced on social media that Nemo “came across as sincere and a very intelligent person and stated their case very well,” and he plans to return his trophy, with fellow winner Paul Harrington adding he will do so if he can locate theirs.

The gesture follows controversy over "Israel’s" Eurovision inclusion, with five countries—Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Spain—planning to withdraw from 2026.

Nemo, 2024 Eurovision winner, said returning the trophy protests “Israel’s” continued participation amid its Gaza ongoing assault, arguing Eurovision’s values of “unity, inclusion, and dignity” clash with allowing an entity accused of genocide to compete.

Calling out the EBU’s insistence that Eurovision is “non-political", Nemo said the contest has been used to “soften the image of a state accused of severe wrongdoing.”

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