A New York Times investigation has found that the Israeli government conducted a well-organised campaign to use the Eurovision Song Contest as a tool for improving its international image. The report details spending of at least one million dollars on promotional efforts dating back to 2018, including 800000 dollars allocated for vote promotion in 2024 alone.
The investigation states that some funding came from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hasbara office. It notes that Israel’s contestants received popular votes from countries where the nation is unpopular, though no evidence of bots or covert methods affecting results was found. Eurovision director Martin Green has said the efforts were excessive but did not influence the outcomes in 2024 or 2025.
