Eurovision equipment inspections delayed by Israeli police
Norwegian producer of song contest in Tel Aviv warns that holdup in funding for security checks makes Israel look bad
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Construction on the hall designed to host Eurovision 2019 was put on hold Monday following an announcement from the Public Security Ministry that police were stopping their security inspections of equipment for the song contest, which is set to take place in Tel Aviv in May.
In response to the decision, John Ola Sand, the Norwegian television executive responsible for coordinating the project, wrote a strongly worded letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, warning that ongoing delays could doom the event entirely.
Last month, the European Broadcast Union urged Netanyahu to ensure that the government covers the costs of security arrangements for Eurovision, and accused him of going back on his word after previously agreeing to fund security for the event.
The funds that the government had agreed to provide for security did not reach police by Sunday, prompting Monday’s halt in security procedures, Hebrew-language media reported.
In a letter to Communications Minister Ayoub Kara, Eldad Koblenz, head of the Kan public broadcaster, warned that the delay hurt Israel’s public image and was costing the country some NIS half a million ($138,000) a day — a sum that continues to grow.
“At present, there are two foreign companies that have manpower and equipment at the site, and we have now delayed their work by 24 hours,” Koblenz said. He added that the police delays were pushing back all the related projects that had been coordinated based on the original schedule.
Other financial costs include container waiting fees and labor. Personnel costs including hotel, catering and flight fees that had been coordinated in advance were also on the rise, he said.
The delay also caused the cancellation of a day of rehearsals and some contracts with photographers.
A video of the Eurovision site showed a cavernous, empty hall full of construction cranes, curtains and little else.
Eurovision will be held this year in Tel Aviv because Israeli Netta Barzilay won last year’s contest for her song “Toy.”
Israel’s preparation for Eurovision has hit many snags, from scalpers selling fake tickets to an early demand from the Culture Ministry that the event be held in Jerusalem.
Eurovision is expected to draw tens of thousands of people and massive media attention to Israel.
The Times of Israel Community.