Melike Pala
24 April 2026•Update: 24 April 2026
Belgium’s Flemish public broadcaster VRT said Friday it will air special analysis programs ahead of the semi-finals and final of the Eurovision Song Contest amid criticism over Israel’s participation.
In a statement, VRT said the 10 to 15-minute segments will provide viewers with context surrounding what it described as an “exceptional edition” of the contest, including criticism directed at Israel accused of war crimes in Gaza, Belga news agency reported.
“In these programs, we will put the Eurovision Song Contest into the right context, explain why this is not an edition like any other, and address the critical questions being raised both at home and abroad,” VRT spokesperson Yasmine Van der Borght said.
Meanwhile, the issue was also debated in the Flemish Parliament on Thursday, where opposition lawmaker M’Hamed Kasmi proposed a resolution calling on the government to oppose the broadcast of the contest. The proposal failed to gain sufficient support.
While opposition parties backed the initiative, majority parties expressed sympathy for a boycott but rejected political intervention in VRT’s programming.
Calls for a boycott have intensified across Europe since the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) confirmed Israel’s participation in December 2025.
Broadcasters in several countries, including Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain and Slovenia, have withdrawn from the 2026 contest.
More than 1,000 musicians have signed an open letter urging a boycott, while some European public broadcasters have opted not to air the event.
The Eurovision Song Contest remains one of the world’s largest televised music competitions. The EBU previously barred Russia from participating following the start of the war in Ukraine in 2022.
