Royal Ballet and Opera Pulls Out of 2026 Tel Aviv Show After Staff Revolt Over Gaza

Nearly 200 employees signed a protest letter, accusing the company of complicity; backlash follows Israeli Opera’s ties to IDF and free soldier tickets

The curtain won’t rise in Tel Aviv after all.

The Royal Ballet and Opera has officially pulled out of its 2026 co-production of Tosca with the Israeli Opera, following an internal rebellion by nearly 200 of its own performers, musicians, and staff. It’s the biggest political stand taken by the London-based institution in years—and one that reflects how the Gaza war is splitting cultural institutions, not just governments.

The decision, quietly finalized last week, comes in the wake of an emotional open letter sent to Royal Opera House leadership, signed by 182 members across artistic and technical departments. The message was clear: cancel the collaboration, or risk losing the moral high ground.

What Sparked It All? A Flag and a Flashpoint

The push to cancel didn’t appear out of nowhere.

Back in June, a Palestinian flag appeared during a curtain call at London’s Covent Garden. It was raised briefly by a soloist in the final bow—just a few seconds. But those seconds ricocheted across social media, drawing both applause and fury.

For some, it was a brave act of solidarity. For others, a political stunt on a sacred stage.

What followed was even more dramatic: the Israeli Opera announced that it would continue offering free performance tickets to Israeli soldiers, a practice it has maintained since the war began last October.

That set off alarms within the Royal Ballet and Opera. Several staffers began organizing informal discussions, leading up to the letter now making headlines.

“Complicity in Crimes Against Humanity”

That’s how the staff letter described the planned co-production with the Israeli Opera.

“We are deeply concerned about the Royal Opera House’s decision to license its Tosca production to a state institution that actively aligns itself with a government committing atrocities,” the letter read, according to The Guardian.

It specifically cited:

• The Israeli Opera’s ongoing ticket program for IDF soldiers.

• The symbolic and material partnership between the two cultural organizations.

• The optics of British cultural prestige being used to, in their words, “whitewash violence.”

Some employees called the move “tone-deaf,” given the mounting civilian death toll in Gaza and increasing scrutiny from human rights groups.

Others pointed to parallels with previous moments in history when arts institutions were accused of turning a blind eye to state violence—South Africa in the 1980s came up more than once in the internal discussions.

Royal Opera’s Leadership Faced a Dilemma

To cancel—or not?

It wasn’t just a political question. There were contracts in place. Set designs already underway. Schedules mapped out through 2026. On the surface, a pullout could trigger lawsuits, damage reputations, and alienate donor bases.

But internally, pressure was mounting. A growing list of signatories, including some of the company’s principal dancers and veteran musicians, were threatening to go public.

Behind closed doors, leadership wrestled with timing. Should they wait until things cooled down? Could they reframe the performance as apolitical art?

In the end, they chose to cancel—quietly, but decisively.

Not the First Flashpoint in British Arts Circles

The Royal Ballet and Opera isn’t the only institution reckoning with the Israel-Gaza war.

Earlier this year:

• The Barbican faced protests during a screening of an Israeli documentary.

• The Edinburgh Fringe disinvited a theater company due to ties with a Tel Aviv university.

• Multiple British universities suspended cultural exchanges with Israeli institutions.

This isn’t isolated outrage—it’s part of a broader shift in how cultural diplomacy is perceived in times of war. Artists who once felt pressured to stay neutral are now demanding their employers take sides.

That doesn’t come without risks.

Boards are divided. Funding sources are sensitive. Governments are watching.

But the staff behind this latest protest seem unbothered by potential blowback.

“We don’t believe art exists in a vacuum,” one signatory, a longtime orchestra member, told Ynetnews anonymously. “When a stage is shared with institutions supporting violence, that blood stains the performance.”

Israeli Opera’s Free Soldier Tickets Become Lightning Rod

Of all the grievances cited, this was the one that really ignited anger.

Since October 7, the Israeli Opera has publicly invited Israeli Defense Forces personnel to attend performances for free. The goal, it said, was to provide cultural relief for soldiers “protecting the nation.”

But for critics abroad, the gesture read differently.

They saw it as a tacit endorsement of the ongoing military operation in Gaza—a campaign that has drawn widespread condemnation over civilian casualties and infrastructure destruction.

One former Royal Ballet dancer, now based in Berlin, called it “a weaponization of art.” On social media, the Opera’s Instagram page became a battleground of comment wars, with some calling the free tickets “PR for apartheid.”

Whether fair or not, the optics became impossible to ignore.

Who’s Next?

Cancellations like this don’t usually happen in isolation. They ripple.

The spotlight is now on other Western companies with upcoming shows in Israel. These include:

The domino effect could go further. Several dancers and conductors have quietly told reporters they’re reconsidering future collaborations—not because of pressure from above, but because their audiences are demanding it.

For Matan Barnea, a Tel Aviv-based choreographer who works with both Israeli and international performers, the trend is “unmistakable.”