After organizers of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) toured Israel last week to scout for possible venues for the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest — designating Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Eilat as possibilities — the EBU director sent a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with a list of demands ahead of the event, an Israeli news broadcaster reported Monday.

Among the conditions required from Israel to host the event in 2019 is that the government promises it will grant entry visas for the event regardless of participants' political opinions, religion or sexual orientation, and that they be allowed to tour the country freely.

Last year, Israel passed a law enabling authorities to refuse access to activists supporting the Boycott, Divest and Sanctions movement, known as BDS.

"It's a disgrace, it's a humiliation," Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan said in an interview with Army Radio Tuesday, according to newspaper Haaretz. "Where does the European Broadcasting Union get the chutzpah to come with such demands and insist that contrary to the laws of a democratic country, people be permitted to enter Israel even if they work day and night to hurt it?"

10 times Eurovision turned political Don't upset the neighbors This year's contest, held in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, marks the first time that a host state has banned another country's entrant. Ukrainian security services denied entry to 27-year-old, wheelchair-bound Yulia Samoylova of Russia after reports surfaced that she toured Crimea after Russia annexed it in 2014. In response, Russia's state-owned broadcaster Channel One will not air the contest.

10 times Eurovision turned political Lyrically political Russia and Ukraine had their share of Eurovision drama in 2016 when Ukrainian entrant Jamala beat Russia's Sergey Lazarev. The song "1944" about Stalin’s deportation of Crimean Tatars during the World War Two was initially deemed controversial due to the contest's ban on explicit political messages. Jamala was victorious, however, with 534 points. Russia finished third, with Australia second.

10 times Eurovision turned political Rising against the radicals While the slogan of the 2017 Eurovision is "Celebrate Diversity," three years ago in Copenhagen, the victory of Austrian drag queen Conchita Wurst (born Tom Neuwirth) saw a backlash from numerous countries. Radical groups in Russia, Azerbaijan and Belarus all campaigned - without success - to keep the then 25-year-old from entering.

10 times Eurovision turned political Austria takes a stand In 1969, Austria took a political stance against Spain and withdrew from Eurovision. The country refused to take part in Madrid to show its opposition to the Franco regime. Spanish General Francisco Franco ruled over Spain as a military dictator for 39 years from 1936 until his death in 1975. An estimated 200,000 to 400,000 people died as a result of his human rights abuses.

10 times Eurovision turned political Singing for freedom In 2001, Estonia became the first former-Soviet republic to win Eurovision. "We freed ourselves from the Soviet empire through song," Estonian Prime Minister Mart Laar said, following the victory in Copenhagen. "Now we will sing our way into Europe," he added, referring to ongoing talks over the country's accession into the European Union. Estonia's independence was restored in 1991.

10 times Eurovision turned political Russian disco Georgia was disqualified from the Moscow 2009 contest over their disco-funk entry, "We Don't Wanna Put In" after the Geneva-based European Broadcasting Union (EBU) deemed the lyrics too political. As well as an apparent play on Russian President Vladimir Putin's name, Georgian female trio 3G, along with male vocalist Stephane sang of a "negative move" that was "killing the groove."

10 times Eurovision turned political Geographical bias A long-running debate in Eurovision is the apparent bloc voting by neighboring countries. Late UK presenter Terry Wogan famously stepped down from commentating Eurovision in 2008, saying it was "no longer a music contest." Some of the main perpetrators are Cyprus and Greece, Scandinavia, the Balkan states and the former Soviet bloc. Last year's change in voting aims to minimize geographical bias.

10 times Eurovision turned political Tongue-tied Belgians Language has long been a fundamental flaw at the heart of Belgium's ongoing existential Eurovision crisis. For years, in a bid to keep the peace at home, Belgium has alternated between sending an entry to sing either in Flemish or French. Back in 2003, however, the Belgians avoided any linguistic woes with their entry "Sanomi," which was sung by the band Urban Trad in a fictional language.

10 times Eurovision turned political Aggravation with Armenia and Azerbaijan In 2015, allegations arose that Armenia used its entry to call for recognition of the Armenian genocide during the last days of the Ottoman Empire. The massacre of some 1.5 million Armenians remains unrecognized by Turkey and Azerbaijan. A year later, Armenian entrant Iveta Mukuchyan was reprimanded for holding a Nagorno-Karabakh flag. The de-facto independent republic is claimed by Azerbaijan.

10 times Eurovision turned political Erdogan-vision Citing "dissatisfaction with the rules," Turkey refused to participate in the 2013 contest. Following Conchita Wurst's victory, a Turkish MP from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's AKP reported the country would no longer take part in the Eurovision Song Contest. Turkey had participated in the contest 34 times since its first appearance in 1975 and even won in 2004. Author: Kate Brady



Freedom of expression and of the press

The EBU also reportedly called for freedom of the press and freedom of expression for all participants, and demanded that Israel's public broadcaster, Kan, be given complete independence in editing the broadcasts.

The European Broadcasting Union stated that most of its demands were standard. The requirements on freedom of movement and expression, however, were added in the past to the letter to host countries including Ukraine and Azerbaijan.

Rehearsals on Shabbat

One final requirement is specifically related to Jewish customs. The EBU stated that final rehearsals should be allowed on Saturday, disregarding the religious restrictions of Shabbat.

The finale of the competition traditionally falls on a Saturday evening, which would be right at the end of the Jewish Sabbath.

This demand could possibly clash with positions of the government's ultra-Orthodox coalition members. For instance, the country's deputy health minister, Yaakov Litzman, has already insisted that preparations for the contest should not interfere with the Jewish day of rest.

As a general rule, the Eurovision Song Contest is staged in the country of the previous year's winner. In 2018, Israeli singer Netta won the competition with her song "Toy."