The Israeli culture minister, Miri Regev, has criticised the display of Palestinian flags during the Eurovision song contest final in Tel Aviv on Saturday night, including by one of Madonna’s dancers.

“It was an error,” Regev, a rightwing minister known for provocative stances, told journalists before a cabinet meeting on Sunday. “Politics and a cultural event should not be mixed, with all due respect to Madonna.”

Regev criticised the Israeli public broadcaster Kan for not preventing the flags from being shown, though it was unclear what could have been done.

During Madonna’s performance at the final, two of her dancers could be seen side by side with Israeli and Palestinian flags on their backs. The gesture was an apparent call for unity, but Eurovision organisers seek to keep all politics out of the event, and the display of Palestinian flags inside Israel is deeply controversial.

Madonna performs with the rapper Quavo as her dancers (front) wear Israeli and Palestinian flags. Photograph: Orit Pnini/AFP/Getty Images

Madonna has not commented on the flags.

Separately, the Icelandic group Hatari displayed scarfs with Palestinian flags when the results were being announced.

The European Broadcasting Union, which organises the event, condemned both displays.

Referring to Madonna’s dancers, it said: “This element of the performance was not part of the rehearsals. The Eurovision song contest is a non-political event and Madonna had been made aware of this.”

Madonna resisted calls from pro-Palestinian activists to boycott the event over Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory. In a statement before the finals, the American singer said: “I’ll never stop playing music to suit someone’s political agenda, nor will I stop speaking out against violations of human rights wherever in the world they may be.”

Regev also criticised Kan for not having filmed any of its “postcards” of participating singers in the occupied West Bank. Each singer was filmed in scenic areas of Israel and some of the footage was aired during the show.

Israel occupied the West Bank in the 1967 six-day war and it remains under occupation today. Israeli settlements there are viewed as illegal under international law and are built on land the Palestinians see as part of their future state.

Israel won the right to host Eurovision thanks to last year’s victory by the Israeli singer Netta Barzilai.

The Netherlands’ Duncan Laurence won this year’s Eurovision with his power ballad Arcade.