BRUSSELS: Two Belgian ministers have called for Israel’s exclusion from the Eurovision Song Contest while the Gaza war is ongoing as a punitive measure for the toll on Palestinian civilians.
Controversy over the conflict has hit various cultural events, with organizer The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) resisting calls from some artists and activists for Israel to be dropped from Europe’s May 7-11 annual song competition.
Belgium’s French-speaking Culture Minister Benedicte Linard and Flemish counterpart Benjamin Dalle added their voices.
“Just like Russia has been excluded from competitions and Eurovision following its invasion of Ukraine, Israel should be excluded until it puts an end to its flagrant violations of international law, which are causing thousands of victims, especially children,” she said on X.
There was no immediate response from the EBU, or from Israel, which says it is the victim of a smear campaign over its push to root Hamas militants out of the Palestinian enclave.
Linard told parliament on Wednesday she would ask French-language public broadcaster RTBF, which is organizing Belgium’s participation in Eurovision, to voice the concerns to the EBU.
Dalle said an Israeli suspension would be appropriate while so many Palestinian civilians were suffering, according to a report by Flemish broadcaster VRT.
Israel has already agreed to revise the lyrics of its potential submission to the song contest after EBU took issue with verses that appeared to reference Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack.
The leading Israeli submission is “October Rain,” a ballad sung by female soloist Eden Golan. It had included lyrics such as: “There’s no air left to breathe” and “They were all good children, each one of them” — apparent allusions to victims of Hamas’ killing and kidnapping spree which sparked the war.
Eurovision, to take place this year in the Swedish city of Malmo, bills itself as a non-political event and can disqualify contestants deemed to have breached that rule.
Israel should be dropped from Eurovision if Gaza war continues, say Belgian ministers
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Israel should be dropped from Eurovision if Gaza war continues, say Belgian ministers
- Culture Ministers said Israel should be excluded until it puts an end to its flagrant violations of international law
- Eurovision’s organizers, European Broadcasting Union, have resisted calls from artists and activists to drop Israel from annual song competition
Bondi Beach attack hero says wanted to protect ‘innocent people’
DUBAI: Bondi Beach shooting hero Ahmed Al Ahmed recalled the moment he ran toward one of the attackers and wrenched his shotgun away, saying the only thing he had in mind was to stop the assailant from “killing more innocent people.”
Al-Ahmad’s heroism was widely acclaimed in Australia when he tackled and disarmed gunman Sajid Akram who fired at Jewish people attending a Hanukkah event on December 14, killing 15 people and wounding dozens.
“My target was just to take the gun from him, and to stop him from killing a human being’s life and not killing innocent people,” he told CBS News in an interview on Monday.
“I know I saved lots, but I feel sorry for the lost.”
In footage viewed by millions of people, Al Ahmed was seen ducking between parked cars as the shooting unfolded, then wresting a gun from one of the assailants.
He was shot several times in the shoulder as a result and underwent several rounds of surgery.
“I jumped in his back, hit him and … hold him with my right hand and start to say a word like, you know, to warn him, ‘Drop your gun, stop doing what you’re doing’,” Al Ahmed said.
“I don’t want to see people killed in front of me, I don’t want to see blood, I don’t want to hear his gun, I don’t want to see people screaming and begging, asking for help,” Al Ahmed told the television network.
“That’s my soul asked me to do that, and everything in my heart, and my brain, everything just worked, you know, to manage and to save the people’s life,” he said.
EXCLUSIVE: Ahmed al Ahmed, the man hailed as a hero for tackling one of the gunmen behind an antisemitic attack on Australia's Bondi Beach earlier this month, is speaking out in the aftermath of the massacre.
— CBS News (@CBSNews) December 28, 2025
"I know I saved lots, but I feel sorry still for the lost." pic.twitter.com/gFUfJvv7c6
Al Ahmed was at the beach getting a cup of coffee when the shooting occurred.
He is a father of two who emigrated to Australia from Syria in 2007, and works as a fruit seller.
Local media reported that the Australian government has fast-tracked and granted a number of visas for Al Ahmed’s family following his act of bravery.
“Ahmed has shown the courage and values we want in Australia,” Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said in a statement.
One of the gunmen, Sajid Akram, 50, was shot and killed by police during the attack. An Indian national, he entered Australia on a visa in 1998.
His 24-year-old son Naveed, an Australian-born citizen, remains in custody on charges including terrorism and 15 murders, as well as committing a “terrorist act” and planting a bomb with intent to harm.
(with AFP)
