Belgian festival confirms cancelation of Munich Philharmonic concert led by Israeli conductor

By Melike Pala

BRUSSELS (AA) - The Festival van Vlaanderen in Ghent, Belgium, confirmed the cancellation of a planned performance by the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, which was set to be conducted by Israeli maestro Lahav Shani, Belga news agency reported on Tuesday.

The board of directors finalized the decision after a late meeting on Monday.

Flemish Culture Minister Caroline Gennez said the “incident is now closed” and urged stakeholders to focus on the festival's budget.

"For me, the incident is now closed. And I would call on other parties to do the same. Let us now focus on the enormous challenge we must address in the September Declaration," she said.

France and several Western countries, including Belgium, the UK, Canada, and Australia, plan to recognize Palestinian statehood during the upcoming meetings of the UN General Assembly on Sept. 8-23, joining 147 nations that already do.

The Israeli army has killed almost 65,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October 2023. The relentless bombardment has rendered the enclave uninhabitable, and led to starvation and the spread of diseases.