Munich Philharmonic Orchestra disinvited: German Embassy stops cooperation with festival in Belgium

Brussels/Ghent. The German Embassy in Belgium has terminated its collaboration with the Flanders Festival in Ghent due to the cancellation of the Munich Philharmonic and Israeli conductor Lahav Shani's concerts. A spokesperson told dpa that the embassy had removed the embassy logo from the festival's website and removed references to the concerts from its social media channels. The Jüdische Allgemeine newspaper had previously reported on the discontinued collaboration.

The Flanders Festival Ghent justified the last-minute cancellation of the concert scheduled for September 18 by citing the fact that Tel Aviv-born Shani is also Music Director of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. "In light of his role as Chief Conductor of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, we are unable to provide the necessary clarity regarding his stance toward the genocidal regime in Tel Aviv," reads a statement on the festival's website.

The right-wing religious government of Benjamin Netanyahu is sometimes sharply criticized even within its own country. However, it was democratically elected three years ago. Furthermore, the Israeli government is not based in the coastal city and economic metropolis of Tel Aviv, but in Jerusalem.

The German Ambassador to Belgium, Martin Kotthaus, had previously criticized the cancellation of the concert in a post on X. "The decision and the reasoning behind it are incomprehensible," Kotthaus wrote. The embassy spokeswoman stated that the previous collaboration with the festival had essentially consisted of promoting the concerts on social media.

RND/dpa