RAI Board Members Call for Palestinian Cultural Presence at Eurovision 2026
Just when everyone thought the biggest Italian Eurovision headline this week was Levante and her hypothetical refusal to go to Vienna, Italian broadcasting politics decided to join the party.
Three members of RAI’s board of directors — Alessandro di Majo, Davide Di Pietro and Roberto Natale — have publicly called for Palestine to be given a form of representation on the Eurovision 2026 stage, warning that failing to do so would undermine the contest’s long-standing values of inclusion and fraternity.
And no, they are not talking about competitive participation.
They are talking about visibility.
“Don’t Disfigure the Values of Eurovision”
In a joint statement, the three board members argue that Eurovision’s identity as a platform for unity and dialogue risks being weakened if broadcasters continue to avoid engaging with the cultural dimension of the Palestinian people.
Their wording is clear:
Palestine should find hospitality on the Eurovision stage, if we do not want to disfigure the values of inclusion and brotherhood that music carries with it.
Not exactly the kind of quote that gets quietly forgotten.
What RAI Is Proposing
According to the statement, RAI has already approached Eurovision organisers with a specific suggestion:
A non-competitive appearance by an artist representative of Palestinian culture, framed as an editorial choice rather than a political gesture.
In simpler terms:
Not a flag.
Not a competing entry.
Not a voting situation.
A cultural presence.
A symbolic performance.
A signal.
RAI says this proposal was made in response to requests coming from a significant portion of Italian public opinion.
So far, however, no official response has arrived from either the EBU or ORF, the Austrian broadcaster organising Eurovision 2026.
Timing Is Not Accidental
The board members underline that European broadcasters will meet with ORF in mid-March to define the editorial content of the three live shows in Vienna.
Which means the window for influencing creative decisions is still open.
And, as they point out, international pressure has historically shaped Eurovision’s editorial choices more than once.
In polite diplomatic language: this conversation is only getting started.
The Levante Connection
This statement lands just days after Levante confirmed that she would decline to represent Italy at Eurovision if she won Sanremo 2026, citing the continued participation of Israel and describing Eurovision as more politicised than many admit.
RAI’s board members do not reference Levante directly in their message.
But the thematic overlap is obvious.
Artists speak.
Institutions respond.
Suddenly, Eurovision becomes something more than a song contest again.
As it tends to do every few years.
Cultural Visibility vs Competitive Participation
One important detail in RAI’s proposal is the emphasis on non-competitive inclusion.
They are not asking to add Palestine to the scoreboard.
They are asking Eurovision to acknowledge Palestinian culture within the artistic framework of the show.
That distinction matters.
It positions the idea as a cultural gesture rather than a structural change to the contest.
Whether the EBU sees it the same way remains to be seen.
Eurovision has always balanced between entertainment and symbolism, whether it likes to admit it or not.
RAI’s board members are essentially asking organisers to lean into that reality rather than pretend it does not exist.
Whether one agrees with the proposal or not, it is difficult to deny that 2026 is shaping up to be a year where Eurovision’s self-image as a purely musical event will be questioned more openly than usual.
Vienna has not even unveiled its full stage concept yet.
And already, the conversation is bigger than staging.
Source: Corriere
