Published at: 12/05/2026 10:00 AM

The Spanish Ministry of Culture expressed its rejection of the participation of official Israeli delegations in events of great international relevance such as the Eurovision Song Contest and the Venice Biennial. The Spanish administration argues that these global projection platforms are being used to project an image of institutional normality.

The head of Culture Ernest Urtasun denounced that culture cannot be an instrument to make the humanitarian situation in the Middle East invisible: “Culture cannot be used to whitewash very serious human rights violations.”

This official position comes amid growing international pressure over the conflict in the Gaza Strip and the role of cultural institutions in the current geopolitical scenario.

The official emphasized that the criticism is not directed towards the free expression of creators, but rather towards the formal representation of the Israeli State in spaces that, in his opinion, should maintain ethical coherence with the norms of international law.

The controversy has escalated following the decision of the RTVE television channel to withdraw Spain's participation in the next song festival, setting a precedent in the country's cultural foreign policy. At the same time, at the Venice Biennial, the Spanish pavilion joined the days of protest, aligning its speech with the organizations that demand the cessation of the military offensive.

With these actions, the Spanish State seeks to pressure the organizing bodies to review the admission criteria of countries with current complaints to international organizations.

This series of measures positions Spain as one of the European countries with the most critical stance regarding Israel's cultural diplomacy on the continent. The government has reiterated that it will maintain its signalling policy in all forums where the integrity of fundamental rights is compromised.

With this institutional closing of ranks, it is expected that the debate on the exclusion of States in conflict will be transferred to the next meetings of ministers of culture of the European Union.

Mazo News Team