Eurovision’19: Preparations Halt at Venue As Police Stop Security Checks On Equipment

Preparations for the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 have drawn to a halt at the Expo Tel Aviv, as police stop checking equipment for the contest.

The European Broadcasting Union has written urgently the Israeli Government, to criticise the stopping of police checks on the equipment for Eurovision 2019. Police checks on equipment were halted yesterday after Government Ministries failed to transfer the required funds to the police for them to carry out the required security checks for the competition.

Show Producer Zivit Davidovitch took to social media to express her dissapointment at the current halt to work. Yesterday she filmed the halted preparations in Tel Aviv:

Both the Executive Supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest and Chair of the Reference Group have written to the Government to stress the impact that this is having on preparations for Eurovision 2019. Srugim reports that Jon Ola Sand’s letter states:

The image of the State of Israel is being violated. There is a damage of half a million shekels a day from public funds as a result of the delay due to the behaviour of the government ministries in light of the latest event following the announcement by the Ministry of Public Security regarding the cessation of police work to inspect the equipment and stoppage of the construction work in Pavilion 2. The costs will increase every other day due to the addition of additional companies according to the project’s predetermined times.

The letter adds that:

It is already irritating enough that over the last few months there has been constant discussions on who is paying what for the external security measures around the Eurovision Song Contest. This all culminated yesterday, as we learned that the Israeli police has been instructed not to proceed with the inspection of the venue and equipment (so-called “K9 bomb search routine”) at the Eurovision Song Contest Venue

The letter also highlights to questions that EBU members are now asking about the contest:

Moreover, the EBU will have to inform the 41 delegations of this situation. As you may guess, in view of the recent events in Tel Aviv, this is already a delicate topic for the delegations. This new information will only raise more concerns and questions on the appropriateness of the security and safety measures implemented in Israel for the Eurovision Song Contest

The current dispute revolves around the Israeli Government failing to adequately cover the costs of security for the Eurovision Song Contest. In previous meetings with the EBU and KAN, the Government stated it would cover all security costs for the contest.

The Government has since gone back on its statements, meaning that KAN is having to fund aspects of the security that host broadcasters do not normally cover. Furthermore the funding that the Government is providing towards security is not at the level that was previously agreed.

The Ministry of Public Security responded to comment from Srugim explaing that:

The Israeli Police reduced the cost of security of the event to a minimum of NIS 7.5 million. In a summary presented by the Acting Director-General of the Prime Minister’s Office for funding the security of the event, it was decided that the Ministries of Finance, Tourism, Communications and the Broadcasting Corporation will finance the security expenses of NIS 1.5 million each, Despite repeated requests by the Ministry of Public Security to the government ministries, these offices have not yet transferred the budget as stated, and therefore the police can not continue preparations for the contest.

Source: Srugim, Jerusalem Post