Bulgarian singer Dara won the Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna with the energetic dance track Bangaranga. Israelโs Noam Bettan finished second despite international protests over his countryโs participation and boos from parts of the audience.
Daraโs victory came as a surprise to some, as bookmakers had heavily favored Finlandโs Pete Parkkonen and violinist Linda Lampenius, as well as Australian singer Delta Goodrem. However, Dara won both the jury vote and the televote, earning a total of 516 points.
Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland, and Slovenia chose not to participate this year after organizers refused calls to expel Israel over the wars in Gaza and Lebanon. Nevertheless, the televote propelled Bettan to second place with a total of 343 points.
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Sections of the audience booed and jeered during the Israeli singerโs performance of the ballad Michelle, which featured lyrics in French, Hebrew, and English. Boos were also heard when Bettan received points, while chants of โStop the genocide!โ could be heard during the broadcast on Eurovisionโs official YouTube channel.
Last year, Israel was represented by Yuval Raphael, a survivor of the 2023 Hamas attack on the Nova music festival. Despite boos from sections of the audience, she won the televote and finished second overall.
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