Pro-Palestinian supporters accused Eurovision of allowing the vote, and Israel was close to winning the dramatic showdown this year.
Spain’s public broadcaster RTVE and Flanders Public Broadcaster VRT call on organizers to investigate the television system.
This was supported by support from support Israeli contestant Yuval Raphael, who ended up scoring 357 points.
The country was beaten only by Austrian JJ, who scored 436 points for wasted love.
Participants receive professional jury points from each country as well as from public votes. The maximum points for any national jury or public are 12.
Both Belgium and Spain won 12 points in Israel, despite the jury giving the country zero points.
Audiences at home can vote for a fee of up to 20 votes via text or phone.
Eurovision is accused of allowing voting to be planned, which has put Israel in second place in the dramatic competition this year. National broadcasters in Spain and Belgium voted with contest organizers after Israel won an overwhelming public vote
Spain’s public broadcaster RTVE and Flanders Public Broadcaster VRT call on organizers to investigate the television system. This is the surge in Israel’s contestants with support from Yuval Raphael (pictured), with the final score of 357 points
Ms. Raphael is a survivor of Hamas’ attack at the Rising Star Festival on October 7, 2023, and was disrupted by pro-Palestine protesters during her final performance in Basel, Switzerland. As she sang, a group of people “shhhh” and “sneered” and two audience members had to stop as they tried to rush into the stage
After the protests, calls for boycotts, and an open letter signed by 4,000 musicians, artists and music industry professionals from five Nordic countries condemned the entry of Middle Eastern countries. Photo: Pro-Palestinian protesters break away from Israel and U.S. flags amid protests in Basel
Competition organizer EBU confirmed that broadcasters in Spain and Belgium have reached out and insisted that it is “serious”.
Flander MP Katia Segers said: “The system where everyone can vote at most is the system that encourages manipulation.
“It is necessary to investigate whether such manipulation occurs in our country and all other participating and non-participating countries.”
She added: “VRT must lead the request to conduct an investigation. And debates are held within the EBU and on television systems that are involved in Israel.”
Martin Green, Eurovision Director, said: “It is important to emphasize that the voting action at Eurovision Song Contest is the most advanced in the world, with the results in each country being examined and verified by a group of people to exclude any suspicious or irregular voting patterns.
“The independent compliance monitor reviews jury and public voting data to ensure we achieve effective results.”
He added: “We are constantly in touch with all participating broadcasters at Eurovision Competition and take their concerns seriously.”
Israel’s participation in Eurovision has sparked anger backlash from pro-Palestinian voices.
Ms. Raphael, a survivor of Hamas’s attack on the Rising Star Festival on October 7, 2023, was interrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters during her final performance in Basel, Switzerland.
Israel has participated in Eurovision for the second consecutive year in the ongoing conflict in Gaza and an International Criminal Court investigation into war crimes. Pictured: Little guys of protesters flock to Barfüsserplatz in the center of Switzerland, which hosts this year’s European TV Contest
The country was only defeated by Austria’s JJ (pictured) and he scored 436 points for wasting love
As she sang, a group of people “shhhh” and “sneered” and two listeners had to stop when they tried to rush into the stage.
After the protests, calls for boycotts, and an open letter signed by 4,000 musicians, artists and music industry professionals from five Nordic countries condemned the entry of Middle Eastern countries.
Those who signed the statement, including some former European TV winners, said Israel’s participation in the competition was to “paint and divert attention” the Israeli bombing of Gaza.
It believes that Israel “should not have the opportunity to openly embody the European television stage, thereby covering up and continuing human rights violations.”
In Saturday’s finale, Spanish broadcaster RTVE has received serious criticism after opposing Israel’s accession on its country’s radio.
Within 16 seconds, the audience saw a black screen with white fonts in Spanish and English, which read: “Silence is not an option when human rights are threatened.
“Peace and justice in Palestine.”
Mr Green of EBU added: “We can confirm that we have been in touch with VRT and RTVE since the vote in the game on Saturday.
“The event now has concluded that we will have extensive discussions with participating broadcasters to reflect and get feedback on all aspects of this year’s event, as part of our planning process for next year’s Euro 70th Singing Song Contest.”
A VRT spokesman said they had “no signs” that the number of votes was incorrect, but said: “The main question is whether the current voting system guarantees a fair reflection of the viewers and listeners’ opinions.
“VRT points out that Eurovision’s song competition is currently organizing less and less.
The spokesperson added: “VRT calls on EBU full transparency about the rules and votes… We do question future participation without seriously answering our concerns about the Eurovision Song competition.”
MailOnline has contacted Eurovision for comment.
