As reported yesterday, a meeting has taken place involving Israeli Prime Minister and several general officials. One of the topics discussed was the current uncertainty on Israel hosting next year’s event.
EBU guidelines will be followed to secure hosting privilege
The prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that the government would follow rules from the EBU to ensure Eurovision in Israel next year. He addressed this in the following statement;
“The government will act according to European Broadcasting Union rules,” Netanyahu said according to a statement from his office.
Broadcaster split could infringe EBU rules
This comes days after Netanyahu supported an idea which would see the Israeli broadcaster being split into two seperate channels. The plan would see Kan seperated into two divisions with one channel focusing on entertainment content and the other dedicated to news and affairs. The prime minister acknowledged that the change would likely cause problems, adding that authorities would need to work out any legal issues.
Last Thursday, the EBU sent a letter to Kan informing them of their concerns. In the letter, organisers re-iterate that the broadcaster’s membership would likely be re-considered if a split were to go ahead. A copy of the letter was published on Twitter by an editor of financial news website The Marker.
פרסום ראשון: מכתב ההזהרה ששיגר מנכ"ל ה-EBU לראשי תאגיד כאן, ולפיו אם חוק הפיצול ייכנס לתוקף חברות ישראל תיבחן מחדש. ומה אומרים במשרד התקשורת על מירי רגב?https://t.co/kd9M5fs71h pic.twitter.com/7Kuom5mLxs
— Nati Tucker נתי טוקר (@nati_tucker) June 18, 2018
“Kan cannot be trusted” says Culture Minister.
Culture Minister, Miri Regev had pushed for an increase in the Government’s involvement in the show – insisting that the contest be held in Jerusalem.
Regev, who was not included in today’s meeting, expressed that the country should not host the event at all if the EBU decide that Jerusalem is an unsuitable home for Eurovision.
EBU have no issue with Jerusalem hosting
According to The Times of Israel, EBU officials have said they have ‘no issue at all’ with the show being held in Jerusalem, as long as the city is chosen via a fair bidding process.
Four cities are currently in the race to hold next year’s event with Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa and Eilat all keen to bring the contest to their city next year.
