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Eurovision faces a crucial decision on Israel

2025-12-04 08:53:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The Eurovision Song Contest faces a battle for its future at a "groundbreaking" meeting in Geneva on Thursday.

Organizers and participating countries will debate whether Israel should be allowed to continue in the competition, amid protests over the way its government conducted the war in Gaza and accusations of unfair voting practices.

Countries such as Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands and Slovenia have said they will boycott Eurovision if Israel participates. Germany has hinted that it will withdraw if Israel is excluded.

The meeting comes after anti-Israel protesters tried to disrupt the 2024 and 2025 competitions, citing their opposition to the Palestinian death toll in Gaza. During this year's grand final in Basel, Switzerland, two people tried to force their way onto the stage and throw paint at Israeli competitor Yuval Raphael. They were stopped by team members and later arrested.

Raphael ultimately came in second place in the contest, after a convincing victory in the public vote. However, the result sparked fierce reactions from other countries, which said that the Israeli government had artificially boosted their position through an extensive paid advertising campaign, encouraging people across Europe to vote for their song. Israel has not responded to these accusations, but often argues that it has faced a global smear campaign.

Last month, Eurovision organizers announced they were tightening the contest's voting rules to limit the influence of governments on the results.

Without mentioning Israel, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) said it would “discourage disproportionate promotional campaigns,” especially if they were “undertaken or supported by third parties, including governments or government agencies.”

It also announced that fans would only be able to cast 10 votes each, down from 20 previously; and that steps would be taken to improve the detection of "fraudulent or coordinated voting activity."

"We very much hope that the package of measures will reassure members that we have taken strong action to protect the neutrality and impartiality of the Song Contest," the EBU said./CNA, translated by BBC