Germany's Merz thanks Belgian premier for solidarity with Lahav Shani

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz praised Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever on Sunday for his solidarity with Israeli conductor Lahav Shani, who was disinvited from a Belgian music festival.

"I would like to thank the Belgian Prime Minister for the strong sign of solidarity he showed by visiting Lahav Shani and the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra in Essen," Merz wrote on X.

De Wever had travelled with the German ambassador to Belgium, Martin Kotthaus, to attend a concert performed by Shani and the orchestra on Saturday evening in the western German city.

The Flanders Festival in Ghent had scrapped Shani's September 18 performance citing his parallel role as music director of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. The move has triggered widespread condemnation.

Organizers claimed on their website they could not obtain "sufficient clarity" about his stance toward what they called the "genocidal regime" in Israel.

"We must not give this blatant anti-Semitism any space," Merz wrote on X, addressing his Belgian counterpart.