By Olivia Le Poidevin GENEVA (Reuters) -Organisers of the Eurovision Song Contest announced on Friday changes to voting rules to avoid state interference after controversy over Israel's entry this year. The new rules by the European Broadcasting Union discourage governments and third parties from "disproportionately promoting" songs to sway voters – and say they could otherwise face sanctions. At this year's edition, Israel's Yuval Raphael, a survivor of the October 7, 2023, attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas, came second overall. However, some on social media raised concern about the transparency of the voting system – which was echoed by the winner, Austrian entry JJ. Critics said state promotion unfairly boosted Israel's entry and that individuals' multiple voting for the same contestant went against the spirit of the competition, which has been running since 1956. Israel has not commented on those accusations, but often alleges a global smear campaign against it since the Gaza war began after the Hamas attack. The Israeli permanent mission in Geneva did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. Eurovision director Martin Green said the organisation was taking steps to ensure the competition remains a celebration of music and unity. "The Contest should remain a neutral space and must not be instrumentalized," he said in a statement. Under the new rules, an expanded professional jury will be reintroduced at the semi-final stage and will have about 50% of the vote. The other half will remain a public vote. ISRAEL SAYS IT WILL NOT QUIT COMPETITION Audience members will now have a maximum of 10 rather than 20 votes to cast. "Fans will be actively encouraged to share their support across multiple entries,” the EBU stated. Ahead of next May's 70th edition in Austria, EBU members will meet in December to discuss Israeli participation. Five countries – the Netherlands, Slovenia, Iceland, Ireland and Spain – want Israel excluded over the number of Palestinian civilians killed during Israel's offensive in Gaza. Israel denies targeting civilians in Gaza and says it is being unfairly demonised abroad. According to the Euronews outlet, a dozen European members of parliament called for the release of voting data from this year's Eurovision contest citing fears of manipulation, after various national broadcasters had expressed the same worry. Irish broadcaster RTE confirmed at the time that it had requested a breakdown of Eurovision voting numbers. Posts and photos from the Israel X account run by Israel's foreign ministry and dated May 15 – the day that Israel competed in this year's Eurovision semi-final – encouraged people to vote for Raphael, adding that "you can vote up to 20 times." (Reporting by Olivia Le Poidevin; Additional reporting by Emma Farge; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
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