Two Maltese civil society organisations have called for Malta to withdraw from the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest if Israel is allowed to participate, arguing that a boycott would be an appropriate response to Israel's continued inclusion in the competition.

The comments were requested by The Malta Independent on Sunday after the Netherlands announced it would withdraw from the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest in protest at Israel's participation, reigniting debate across Europe about whether countries should continue taking part while Israel remains in the contest.

In response to questions, both Moviment Graffitti and The Lebanese Advocates said they believe Malta should withdraw from competition as long as Israel is permitted to take part.

Moviment Graffitti said its position remains unchanged from the "Malta No Music for Genocide" campaign it launched earlier this year together with members of Malta's arts community and other organisations. The campaign called on Malta to join five other countries - Iceland, Ireland, The Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain - in boycotting Eurovision 2026 after Israel was allowed to participate.

"As long as the situation regarding Israel's participation in Eurovision remains unchanged, our position stands," the organisation said. "We strongly believe that the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) should not allow Israel to participate and, if it does, Malta should boycott the event."

Graffitti argued that cultural events are inherently political, pointing to Russia's exclusion from Eurovision following its invasion of Ukraine. It contended that allowing Israel to compete despite what it described as an ongoing genocide in Gaza enables Israel to present itself as a "normal" participant on the international stage.

The organisation said Malta should move beyond statements calling for peace and instead take "tangible action", arguing that refusing to participate alongside Israel at Eurovision would be one such measure.

Asked more broadly about Malta's participation in international cultural events involving Israel, Graffitti said boycotts should be assessed strategically on a case-by-case basis. However, it said it believes Israel should be "expelled and isolated" internationally in the same way apartheid South Africa was during the 1980s, while stressing that decisions on Malta's participation in individual events should take into account their likely impact.

The Lebanese Advocates - a group of Lebanese nationals based in Sliema that advocates for peace, justice, and humanitarian aid for Lebanon - also endorsed Malta withdrawing from Eurovision and said it supports the "No Music in Genocide" campaign.

The organisation described Eurovision as an inherently political platform because countries participate as States rather than as individual artists. It argued that Israel should be excluded from "peaceful forums/spaces including peaceful cultural events" while it continues what it described as criminal actions.

It said that, since Eurovision organisers have not barred Israel from participating, individual countries should instead act according to their own values.

According to the organisation, Malta's continued participation alongside Israel would contribute to what it described as the normalisation of Israel's actions and would be inconsistent with Malta's commitment to human rights.

On Malta's participation in other international cultural events involving Israel, The Lebanese Advocates said any forum allowing Israeli participation undermines the values of its members. It argued that Malta should align its actions with the human rights commitments it has endorsed internationally and should refuse to participate alongside Israel.

The Malta Independent on Sunday also asked the Public Broadcasting Services (PBS), which is responsible for Malta's participation in Eurovision, whether it had considered withdrawing Malta from the competition following the Netherlands' decision.

PBS did not respond to the questions.