Bulgaria wins Eurovision amid massive boycott over Israeli participation

Bulgarian singer Dara has defied bookmakers’ expectations and won this year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, which was otherwise noteworthy for pro-Palestinian protests and an unprecedented boycott over Israel’s participation.

Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland, and Slovenia shunned the international event this year due to West Jerusalem’s military campaigns in Gaza and in Lebanon – the biggest boycott in Eurovision’s 70-year history.

Last month, more than 1,100 musicians and cultural workers, including Brian Eno, Massive Attack, Kneecap, and Primal Scream among others, likewise signed an open letter calling for a boycott and accusing event organizers of helping Israel to whitewash and normalize its “genocide” in Gaza and Lebanon.

Nevertheless, Israel’s Noam Bettan came in second after the final tally, combining the jury’s ranking and an audience score, was announced on Saturday.

Noam Bettan carries the Israeli flag during the Eurovision Song Contest grand final at the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, Austria, on May 16, 2026. ©  Ian West / PA Images / Getty Images.

Pro-Palestinian protesters booed and jeered during Bettan’s performance of the ballad Michelle, with at least one Palestinian flag unfurled and chants of “Stop the genocide!” heard in the background.

Outside the venue, a pro-Palestinian march was also held in the Austrian capital on Saturday. 

Earlier this year, the national broadcasters of Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland, and Slovenia raised concerns with the European Broadcasting Union over alleged vote-rigging by Israel last year, when singer Yuval Raphael got second place.

According to a recent investigation by the New York Times, citing voting data and Eurovision documents, Raphael won the popular vote in several countries where the public is predominantly critical of Israel.

According to the newspaper, the Israeli government mounted a well-organized campaign, placing advertisements in multiple languages and mobilizing pro-Israel groups to vote for the singer.

Last year, Eurovision rules allowed a single viewer to cast a maximum of 20 votes, and given that relatively few people vote in some countries, the supposed campaign could have affected the popular vote there, the NYT claimed.

Israel launched its military campaign against Hamas in Gaza following the militant group’s deadly incursion into the country in October 2023, which left 1,200 people dead and 250 others taken hostage.

According to the Palestinian authorities, the Israeli military’s heavy-handed response has claimed nearly 70,000 Palestinian lives.

Meanwhile, Russia has been banned from Eurovision since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022. Moscow has responded by reviving Intervision, a Soviet-era alternative touted by the Kremlin as a music contest reflecting more “traditional values.”