From diplomacy to soccer, Israel is becoming a pariah on the global stage
Israel is becoming increasingly isolated on the world stage as the war and humanitarian crisis in Gaza continue, with the backlash seeping into economic, cultural and sporting arenas.
International condemnation has soared since Israel announced a ground assault on Gaza City and conducted an unprecedented strike against Hamas leadership on Qatari soil. It also comes as an independent UN inquiry concluded for the first time last week that Israel had committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, a finding that echoes those of other genocide experts and human rights groups, but which the Israeli government has rejected.
Last week, the European Union – Israel’s biggest trading partner – proposed sanctions that would partially suspend its free trade agreement with Israel, if approved by EU member states. Several Western nations have already implemented targeted sanctions against certain Israeli individuals, settler outposts and organizations supporting violence in the occupied West Bank.
The global outcry is hitting Israel’s economy in other ways as well.
In August, Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, the world’s largest, announced it was divesting parts of its portfolio in Israel due to the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Israel also faces partial or complete arms embargoes from France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom and others over its conduct in Gaza.
The backlash has been so stark that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu himself acknowledged it earlier this month, warning that Israel is facing a “kind of isolation” that could last for years, adding that the country has no choice but to stand on its own. Netanyahu said Israel would need to further develop its weapons industry and adapt its economy to become less reliant on external trade. He later downplayed those comments, saying he was talking only about the defense industry.
As the war escalates, Israel is also taking hits in the entertainment and culture sphere.
Broadcasters in several European countries, including Ireland, the Netherlands and Spain, have said they will boycott the much-beloved Eurovision Song Contest if Israel is allowed to participate in 2026. The Irish national broadcaster, RTE, said it “feels that Ireland’s participation would be unconscionable given the ongoing and appalling loss of lives in Gaza.”
Israeli singer Yuval Raphael representing Israel with the song “New Day Will Rise” performs during the dress rehearsal for the final of the Eurovision Song Contest in May 2025. Fabrice coffrini/AFP/Getty Images
Israeli broadcaster KAN 11 has pushed back, saying it will press ahead with selecting Israel’s 2026 contestant and arguing that the musical celebration should “not become politicized.” The European Broadcasting Union, the Eurovision organizer, has said member countries will vote in November about which countries can participate next year. Israel has been part of Eurovision since 1973.
In the fine arts, a music festival in Ghent, Belgium, recently canceled a concert by the Munich Philharmonic, which was set to perform with Israeli conductor Lahav Shani. The festival said in a statement that “Shani has spoken out in favor of peace and reconciliation several times in the past, but… we are unable to provide sufficient clarity about his attitude to the genocidal regime in Tel Aviv.”
The Israeli government has maintained it is conducting the war in Gaza in self-defense and in accordance with international law, firmly denying all accusations of genocide.
