The 2026 Eurovision is finally over, but the political controversy rumbles on.

Despite calls for a boycott and a months-long campaign to try to have Israel expelled from the competition, Israel has once again finished second, now for the second consecutive year. But unlike last year, when there was a huge discrepancy between the jury and the public (televoting), this year Israel performed well in Vienna, coming in 8th among the international jurors and finishing third in the public vote.

The critics are not happy.

The UK-based Sunday Times review published today describes Israel’s support as “fueled by a hefty campaign budget” and calls the second-place finish controversial.

Ireland, of course, officially boycotted this year’s Eurovision.

In Ireland, at least on social media, the reaction to Israel’s 2nd place finish has been met with a mix of indifference, resignation, and renewed speculation about voting patterns and alleged Israeli media campaigns to influence the vote.

On Sunday morning, a popular host on the national broadcaster RTÉ pushed back against the moralising tone of the boycott debate, joking that it wasn’t a crime to watch Eurovision. A reminder, perhaps, that the Irish debate around the contest has at times taken on an unusually charged and censorious character.

What has struck many observers is that the arguments in Ireland in support of the Irish boycott have varied........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)