‘Let's show political backbone’: Zammit Lewis insists Malta withdraw from Eurovision if Israel competes

Government MP Edward Zammit Lewis insisted Malta should not be participating in the Eurovision if Israel is allowed to compete.

“The same way the European Broadcasting Union kicked out Russia in 2022, Israel should not be allowed to participate for acts which are similar or even worse,” he said in concluding remarks during his parliamentary speech on Wednesday.

In a fiery conclusion to his speech, Zammit Lewis called on the government and the House of Representatives to show “political backbone” and send a clear message against what is happening in Palestine by the Israeli army.

Zammit Lewis insisted Malta should join other countries like Spain, Slovenia, Ireland and the Netherlands in insisting on Israel’s exclusion from the competition.

Edward Zammit Lewis’s comments contrast with those by Culture Minister Owen Bonnici who confirmed Malta would not boycott the competition even if Israel takes part.

Bonnici said he “completely criticises” the actions of the Israeli government but argued that cultural spaces such as Eurovision should remain “safe places” for dialogue and exchange.

Opposition MP Julie Zahra who is shadow minister for culture, and a Eurovision winner herself, had called on Malta to reconsider its participation in the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest if Israel is permitted to compete, saying music should be used as a tool to deliver a message of peace and protest.

Zahra said music is “a living expression” and every song carries a message, including political and social ones. She noted that since 2022, Russia has been banned from the contest following its invasion of Ukraine, and that the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) is expected to decide on Israel’s participation in December.

“Reason dictates that one should await that decision before making premature comments,” Zahra said. “But what is happening in Gaza cannot be brushed aside. The United Nations itself has called it genocide.”

On Tuesday, a coalition of NGOs wrote a letter to Bonnici calling on the government to withdraw from the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest if Israel is allowed to compete.

“We want Malta to join the growing list of countries, those being Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland, and Slovenia, putting pressure on the European Broadcasting Union to exclude Israel from the upcoming edition of the Eurovision Song Contest based on its war crimes against the Palestinian people and the genocide it is currently committing,” the organisations said in a statement.

EBU confirmed last month that it will hold an online vote in November that could see Israeli broadcaster KAN expelled from Eurovision 2026.

On Monday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Germany would consider boycotting the competition if Israel is excluded.