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organizer of Eurovision Following allegations of “interference” by the Israeli government, the song contest has announced significant changes to the voting system.
European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the Geneva-based body that oversees the event, said on Friday that the amendments were “designed to strengthen trust, transparency and spectator engagement”.
israel He has been a participant in Eurovision for more than five decades and has achieved four wins.
However, its involvement has recently faced intense scrutiny, with calls for its boycott due to the actions of the Prime Minister. benjamin netanyahuGovernment in the Hamas-Israel conflict in Gaza.
Allegations of Israeli government interference introduce a new dimension to the controversy surrounding the competition.
In September, the Dutch public broadcaster AVROTROS, citing human suffering in the Gaza war, said it could Israel’s participation in the contest can no longer be justifiedMany other countries also adopted a similar stance,
The Dutch broadcaster further stated that “during the last edition of Eurovision there was interference by the Israeli government, the program was used as a political tool”.
The statement did not elaborate on that allegation.
The same month, Golan Yochapaz, CEO of Israeli public broadcaster Kan, said that “There is no reason why we should not remain an important part of this cultural program, which should not become political”.
Kahn then also said that he was “confident” that the EBU would “continue to maintain the non-political, professional and cultural character of the contest, especially on the eve of Eurovision’s 70th anniversary in 2026”.
The EBU said that as part of the new Eurovision measures, the number of votes per payment method will be halved to 10 at the contest in Vienna next May.
Additionally, the “professional jury” will return to the semi-finals for the first time since 2022. This is a move that will give approximately 50-50 percent weighting between audience and jury votes.
Organizers will also step up security measures to thwart “suspicious or coordinated voting activity” and strengthen security systems that “monitor, detect and prevent fraudulent patterns,” the EBU said.
competition director martin green Stating that the neutrality and integrity of the competition is of “paramount importance” to the EBU, its members and spectators, he added that the event “must remain a neutral venue and should not be instrumentalised”.
The EBU General Assembly on 4 and 5 December is set to consider whether Israel can participate in 2026.
A vote on that participation would take place only if member broadcasters decide the new measures “do not go far enough,” Mr. Green said.