Spain's PM wants Israel out of international cultural events over Gaza war

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called on Monday for Israel’s exclusion from international cultural events such as the Eurovision song contest over its military campaign in Gaza, just as Russia was barred after its invasion of Ukraine.

“We cannot allow double standards, not even in culture,” Sanchez, a Socialist and long-time critic of Israeli policies in occupied Palestinian territory, told a conference in Madrid.

“I believe that no one was shocked three years ago when Russia was asked to withdraw from international competitions after it invaded Ukraine and not participate, for example, at Eurovision. Therefore, Israel should not do so either,” he said.

Israel’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on Sanchez’s remarks.

Sanchez called on artists to stand up for threatened values such as democracy and peace, criticising those who defend “a bland, silent, equidistant cultural sector”.

Eurovision, which stresses its political neutrality, faced controversy again during this month’s finals in Basel, Switzerland, won by Austrian singer JJ, while Israel’s Yuval Raphael emerged as the winner of the televote.

Pro-Palestinian groups had urged the European Broadcasting Union to exclude Israel over the war in Gaza. More than 53,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to local health officials, in Israel’s offensive since a cross-border Hamas militant attack in October 2023 that killed around 1,200 people.

Israel’s declared goal in Gaza is the elimination of the military and governmental capabilities of Hamas. Despite international pressure to end the hostilities, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday Israel would take control of the whole of the Gaza Strip.

A year ago, Spain, along with Norway and Ireland, formally recognised a unified Palestinian state ruled by the Palestinian Authority and with East Jerusalem as its capital – a decision Israel has condemned as bolstering Hamas.

Last October, Sanchez urged the European Union and wider international community to stop selling weapons to Israel, as Spain did in 2023.