Europe Asia News

Countries such as Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands and Slovenia have announced that they will boycott Eurovision if Israel participates. Germany stated that it would withdraw if Israel were banned from the contest.

During this year’s grand final in Basel, Switzerland, two people rushed onto the stage and attempted to throw paint at Israeli contestant Yuval Raphael. They were stopped by staff members and later arrested.

Raphael finished second in the contest after a decisive victory in the public vote.

However, the result sparked reactions from other countries claiming that the Israeli government artificially boosted its position through a large-scale paid advertising campaign encouraging people across Europe to vote for its song.

Israel has not responded to these accusations but frequently claims it is facing a global smear campaign.

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), without naming Israel, said it would prevent “disproportionate promotional campaigns conducted or supported by third parties, including governments or state bodies.”

It also announced that fans would be allowed to cast only 10 votes instead of 20, and that steps would be taken to improve the detection of “fraudulent or coordinated voting activities.”

The EBU stated: “We hope this package of measures will reassure our members that we are taking strong steps to uphold the neutrality and fairness of the Song Contest.”