Israel has qualified to compete in Saturday’s Eurovision Song Contest final amid ongoing controversy surrounding the country’s participation.
Israel’s contestant is Noam Bettan, performing the song “Michelle.” He was one of 10 acts to qualify in Tuesday’s semifinal. Greece, Finland, Belgium, Sweden, Moldova, Serbia, Croatia, Lithuania and Poland also made it through to the final.
A second semifinal will take place on Thursday.
The top 10 acts from each semifinal will compete on Saturday alongside last year’s winner Austria, and “Big Four” countries France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom, which automatically qualify for the final round.
Five countries chose not to participate in this year’s Eurovision contest if Israel competed, saying their decision was based on Israel’s war in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis it triggered. Russia was kicked out of the contest in 2022 following its invasion of Ukraine.
Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people in Israel, a large majority of whom were civilians, and taking 251 hostages.
The attack prompted a major Israeli military offensive in Gaza, which killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, many of them civilians and children, displaced 90 percent of Gaza’s population and destroyed buildings in wide areas. Despite a ceasefire brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump in October 2025, Israel continues to strike Gaza, and settler violence in the occupied West Bank continues.
The unprecedented boycott of Eurovision by five countries has been described as an existential moment in the song contest’s 70-year history.
Israel qualifies for Eurovision final
Source: Viral Showbiz Pinay
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