Yuval Raphael performing for Israel during Thursday night's Eurovision semi-final

The controversy surrounding Israel’s participation in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest is showing no signs of slowing down.

Because of the ongoing conflict in Gaza, many critics have called for Israel to be removed from the competition in recent years, similarly to the controversy surrounding Russia before they were banned in 2022.

Earlier this month, more than 70 acts associated with the contest in the past – including numerous former winners – co-signed an open letter calling for Israel’s removal from Eurovision, which was later backed by reigning champion Nemo.

The Swiss star told HuffPost UK last week: “I personally feel like it doesn’t make sense that Israel is a part of this Eurovision.”

“Israel’s actions are fundamentally at odds with the values that Eurovision claims to uphold — peace, unity, and respect for human rights,” they added.

Organisers have now revealed that on Thursday, hours before Israeli singer Yuval Raphael performed in the live second semi-final, her dress rehearsal performance was disrupted by a........

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