GENEVA — The organizers of the Eurovision Song Contest announced a major overhaul of its voting and security systems Friday, a direct response to allegations of “proven interference” by the Israeli government during this year’s competition.
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which runs the event, said the changes are “designed to strengthen trust, transparency and audience engagement” amid a firestorm of controversy. The reforms include halving the number of votes per payment method, reintroducing professional juries to the semifinals, and enhancing systems to detect “suspicious or coordinated voting activity.”
The allegations of Israeli meddling have intensified an already heated debate over Israel’s participation in the contest due to its government’s conduct in the war in Gaza. In September, Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS stated it could no longer justify Israel’s involvement, citing both the human suffering in Gaza and “proven interference by the Israeli government,” which it said used the event as a “political instrument.”
Contest director Martin Green emphasized that the “neutrality and integrity of the competition is of paramount importance,” and that the event “must not be instrumentalized.”
The EBU’s general assembly will meet next month to decide whether Israel can compete in next year’s contest. A final vote on its exclusion will only be called if member broadcasters decide the newly announced security measures are “not sufficient” to ensure fairness.
By James Kisoo
