Three members of RAI’s board of directors have called for Palestinian representation on the Eurovision Song Contest stage in Vienna, following growing debate in Italy over Israel’s confirmed participation in the 2026 contest.
A call for a non-competitive Palestinian presence
The appeal was made by Alessandro Di Majo, Davide Di Pietro and Roberto Natale in a joint statement reported by Corriere della Sera, after comments from Sanremo 2026 participant Levante, who said she would refuse to represent Italy at Eurovision should she win the Italian Festival in protest against Israel’s inclusion.
In their statement, the three RAI board members argue that Eurovision risks undermining its founding values of inclusion and fraternity if no space is given to Palestinian culture during the event.
“Palestine must find hospitality on the Eurovision stage, if we do not want to disfigure the values of inclusion and brotherhood that music carries with it,” they wrote.
The directors clarified that they are not calling for a competitive entry, but rather for a non-competitive artistic presence that would symbolically represent Palestinian culture during the three live shows in Vienna.
RAI participation already confirmed
The board members recalled that RAI has already confirmed its participation in Eurovision 2026, after their earlier proposal to boycott the contest failed to secure a majority within the broadcaster’s board of directors.
According to the statement, RAI has formally proposed to both the EBU and host broadcaster ORF that editorial choices be considered to allow visibility for a Palestinian artist as a sign of civic responsibility and dialogue. As of now, no response has been received.
The three directors concluded by stating that international pressure could still influence decisions, as European broadcasters are set to meet with ORF in mid-March to define the editorial content of Eurovision 2026’s live shows.
Italy’s Eurovision journey
Italy has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest since the very beginning and have always been considered a powerhouse in the contest. The country has won the contest on three occasions in 1964, 1990 and 2021. Italy withdrew after 1997, returning again in 2011 with Raphael Gualazzi who sang ‘Madness Of Love’. Raphael placed second in the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest after scoring 189 points.
Italy’s most recent entry in 2025 was “Volevo essere un duro” by Lucio Corsi. At the close of voting, Italy scored a total of 256 points in the Eurovision 2025 Grand Final, placing 5th. Of these, 159 points came from the juries, whilst the remaining 97 points came from the televote.
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News Source: Corriere della Sera
Photo Credit: Sarah Louise Bennett / EBU
Giwrgos Oiko 
Tetiana Viznytsia