Israel's Eurovision entry Noam Bettan was met with boos from the crowd during his performance in the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest, as five countries were eliminated from the competition. The 28-year-old singer managed to secure a place in Saturday's final despite a mixed reception from the audience at the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, Austria. Some spectators shouted and later booed during the quieter moments of his song Michelle.
Eliminated Nations
Portugal, Georgia, Montenegro, Estonia, and San Marino were the countries eliminated following a popular vote. Notably, San Marino's entry featured veteran British pop star Boy George, who joined entrant Senhit to perform the song Superstar, which he co-wrote.
The results confirmed that Moldova, Sweden, Croatia, Greece, Finland, Belgium, Lithuania, Poland, and Serbia all qualified for the final alongside Israel.
Controversy and Protests
Before Bettan's performance, BBC Eurovision commentator Rylan Clark noted the significant controversy surrounding Israel's participation this year. After his song, Bettan simply told the crowd, "Thank you so much." His performance involved being inside a shiny diamond, wearing a black outfit, and surrounded by female dancers in black and white bodysuits.
Reports indicate that several protests took place in the Austrian capital this week over Israel's inclusion in the contest, amid its actions in Gaza. Ireland, Iceland, the Netherlands, Spain, and Slovenia all boycotted the event in protest. Russia was banned from Eurovision after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but Israel has continued to compete despite disputes.
Israel's 2025 entrant, Yuval Raphael, received the largest number of public votes last May, ultimately finishing runner-up to Austrian winner JJ after jury votes were counted. Two protesters unsuccessfully attempted to storm the stage and throw paint during her performance.
UK Entrant's Perspective
UK entrant Look Mum No Computer, whose real name is Sam Battle, told the Press Association that people can "express their opinions" at the song contest. When asked about the impact of protests against Israel's participation, Battle said: "People can be themselves, and they can also express their opinions, and they can do that this year because the canned audience is unedited, so we've just got to see what goes on… The audience isn't controlled, the audience participations with the microphones, they're allowed to wave whatever flags within the sizing rules and the flammability rules and stuff, so we've just got to get on with it."
Other Performances
Tuesday's semi-final was opened by Moldova's Satoshi, who performed his song Viva, Moldova!. Notable performances came from Croatia's Lelek, who performed with face tattoos against a fantasy-themed backdrop, and Greece's entrant Akylas, who wore a striking tiger print outfit. Lithuania's Lion Ceccah offered one of the night's most eccentric performances, painted silver and appearing in a Grim Reaper-like outfit, before stepping out of it into black mist, mirrored by Serbian metal band Lavina, whose singer also wore a gothic outfit.
Finland's violinist Linda Lampenius and singer Pete Parkkonen performed their classically tinged pop song Liekinheitin, which is among the bookies' favourites to win the contest, backed by a collection of flaming wooden furniture. Italy's Sal Da Vinci and Germany's Sarah Engels also performed alongside the 15 competitors but are already qualified as part of the 'big four' nations that contribute the most financially to the contest.
