Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez argued on Monday that the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has applied a "double standard" by allowing Israel to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest while excluding Russia in 2022 following its invasion of Ukraine.
Sanchez's calls to disqualify Israel from Eurovision were out of the need to "show solidarity with the Palestinian people."
On Sunday, it was reported that the Spanish Broadcasting Authority (RTVE) intends to appeal to EBU demanding a reassessment of the audience voting system used in Eurovision.
RTVE claimed that there should be a discussion about the suitability of the current system "in the context of armed conflicts such as the one in Gaza, and cases where such conflicts directly affect the results."
According to Spanish reports, RTVE is one of several broadcasters calling for this reassessment, and other broadcasters from different countries are expected to join the demand.
This came after Israel's contestant, Yuval Raphael, received 297 points from the public votes, including 12 points from 13 different countries. Current voting rules allow each viewer to vote up to 20 times from each device or credit card.
"We believe that the voting system must be examined thoroughly in light of recent events," said a source at RTVE. "The goal is to ensure the competition remains fair and truly reflects the musical taste of the audience, without political influences."
EBU has not yet officially responded to RTVE's demand, but sources within EBU said that "any proposal from a member broadcaster is taken seriously, and the issue will be discussed in upcoming meetings of the management committee.
EBU warns RTVE after broadcasting politicized pro-Palestine message
In a break from EBU protocol, RTVE aired a message about Palestine ahead of the Eurovision Song Contest Saturday evening.
It was reported by Spanish media that RTVE was given a formal warning by the EBU after its message during the second semi-final of Eurovision, but decided to double down before the broadcast of the grand final.
Comments made by Julia Varela and Tony Aguilar during the second semifinal included, "The victims of the Israeli attacks in Gaza now exceed 50,000, including more than 15,000 children, according to the United Nations."
Flagrantly ignoring the warning of the EBU, the Spanish national public broadcaster aired the following message before the final began: “In the face of human rights, silence is not an option. Peace and justice for Palestine."
The EBU has many rules in place to prevent politics from entering the song contest, with the famous stance that music should be a uniting force.