Malta's withdrawal from Eurovision is 'necessary and legitimate'
Culture and politics are not – and have never been – completely separable. Pretending they are, is not only naïve but historically untrue
The 2026 Eurovision Song Contest is shaping up to be one of the most chaotic on record. Ireland, Spain, Slovenia, the Netherlands and Iceland have pledged to withdraw if Israel is allowed to compete. The moral message coming out of these countries and millions of people around Europe is that the show cannot simply go on with Israel performing on a stage after the horror it unleashed on Gaza.
The European Broadcasting Union’s decision to allow Israel to compete smacks of hypocrisy knowing the swiftness it acted with in barring Russia from the contest after its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. But we all know that countries wield different influence on the political stage, and size doesn’t necessarily matter.
Culture Minister Owen Bonnici said Malta will participate in the Vienna edition, emphasising the importance of supporting our artists and protecting cultural platforms. Many agree with him. But his views contrasted sharply with those of other MPs, former Eurovision participants and especially humanitarian organisations who warned that Malta is sending a message that it is indifferent to the suffering in Gaza.
Moviment Graffitti put it bluntly: Malta’s presence at Eurovision would suggest that Israel “can commit atrocities with no consequences”.
Culture and politics are not – and have never been – completely separable. Pretending they are, is not only naïve but historically untrue. Art has long been a battleground on which societies contest their beliefs and values. The voices of artists like John Lennon, Nina Simone, Bob Marley and U2 sang into the political moment, interrupting complacency, amplifying injustice, forcing the world to look.
Music has moved crowds, toppled narratives, and ignited global movements. To insist that Eurovision somehow floats above the moral crises of our time is to misunderstand the very power of art itself.
The protests transcend the arts. The Olympic Games, the world’s most cherished symbol of peaceful competition, has been boycotted repeatedly: from African nations in 1976 over apartheid South Africa, to the US and more than 60 countries in 1980 after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Russia has been banned from world football since 2022, and its tennis players compete under a neutral status.
Eurovision may not carry the geopolitical weight of the Olympics, but the underlying principle is the same: when fundamental human rights are at stake, withdrawal becomes not only legitimate but necessary.
And this is why we cannot allow the festival’s glitter to blind us to what is unfolding beyond the stage.
The devastation in Gaza and the staggering civilian death toll forms the backdrop against which Israel is preparing to take its place beneath Eurovision’s lights. Allowing this to proceed as if it were business as usual risks sanitising one of the gravest humanitarian crimes of our era.
It is not surprising to see Malta going ahead with participation. Eurovision is a religion for most people and is followed with unmatched passion. But popularity alone cannot be the measure of our moral choices. History will never forgive nations that prioritise entertainment over conscience.
Remaining in Eurovision places Malta on the wrong side of a rapidly shifting global consensus. It suggests acceptance, risks complicity as well as our diplomatic credibility on the Palestinian issue.
We can choose to align with the growing chorus of nations refusing to let a song contest become a vehicle for reputation-cleansing amid unprecedented suffering. We can choose to send a message – not only to Israel, but to all those watching – that Malta refuses to celebrate while others endure catastrophe.
Malta must stand on the right side of history.