Eurovision - was the jury vote impacted by politics?

[mids2019]

So Israel massively won the public vote but with relatively few jury votes.....strange.

Was the jury possibly trying to prevent Israel beating Austria as an Israel won would maybe have got the Eurovsion organisers in a tight spot?

Brilliant song and it shows the general public aren't automatons swayed by politics when it comes to music and acknowledging a brilliant human back story.

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/eurovision/eurovision-israel-voting-system-rigged-public-vote-b2754264.html

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/05/19/eurovision-rigged-israel-televoting-yuval-raphael-rtve-vrt/

https://www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/eurovision-investigation-israel-vote-controversy-b1228736.html

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14729377/amp/Major-broadcasters-accuse-Eurovision-vote-rigging-Israels-controversial-performance-came-second.html

Blimey Municipal thanks for these.
The papers are all over this, so it’s not just Mumsnet then 😀

I think Israel encouraging the Strictly equivalent of ‘organised mass multiple voting without even watching’ (2.5 m votes in Belgium but only 1m actually watched it), just makes them appear petty.
It’s just a ludicrous music competition. Couldn’t they play fair like other countries? Evidently not.

Update on the Eurovision

“Members also expressed their support for the work of the Israeli public broadcaster Kan and its independence, noting the pressure it is repeatedly experiencing from the Israeli government.”
So government interference noted

According to the English-language Israeli news site Ynet, the debate on Thursday lasted around 90 minutes, with Austria, Germany and Switzerland’s broadcasters being the only ones to vocally back Israel’s participation next year.

It was also claimed that the BBC had “called to avoid a vote” on the matter, and “instead supported further dialogue”. In the end, no vote took place, although so-called EBU “sources” apparently told Ynet that “further discussions will be inevitable” if the war continues.

Interesting to see what they do next year

Sorry forgot to post link
https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/eurovision-addresses-israel-2026-involvement-debate-discussion_uk_6867786be4b0eb2c5aed2034

@ComeAsYouAreAsAFriend ”Interesting to see what they do next year”

Hopefully we’ll be months into a ceasefire and tensions would have subsided a tad, and this will be less of an issue (some hope of that though!).

Israel won the popular vote, they should be in it.

It’s positive that they are discussing this - in fact, I never thought it would have been discussed in this way. Shows the extent of concerns about what is happening in Gaza.

I had thought only way Israel would not be included in Eurovision was if Kan was defunded. There’s still a chance of this happening looking at Times of Israel.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/ministerial-committee-gives-thumbs-up-to-bill-aimed-at-selling-off-kan-news-division/amp/

Maybe we will be spared the tactical voting in support of Israel when the world is thinking “war crimes?”

Exactly ... the signs seem to be that we are heading towards a ceasefire... hopefully!