Singers from 35 countries have descended on Vienna, Austria, for the colorful, flamboyant and eyebrow-raising annual competition known as the Eurovision Song Contest, celebrating its 70th anniversary this year.

And for the third-year running, the center of the controversy and headlines about the contest have focused on Israel’s participation, with a number of protests expected throughout the week amid a heavy police presence.

On Tuesday evening, Israel’s Noam Bettan will take to the stage to perform “Michelle,” a pop song that’s a slight departure from the ballads the country sent in 2024 and 2025 amid ongoing war.

Austria’s public broadcaster, ORF, said that it will not deploy anti-booing technology nor ban Palestinian flags from the audience. Such flags were allowed last year but were not particularly noticeable in the crowd. Two protesters, however, tried to rush the stage during Israel’s performance last year, but were blocked by security – something that was not seen during the live broadcast.

Bettan – who told The Times of Israel he has been practicing to the sounds of boos – is seen as a long shot to win this year’s contest, but is highly likely to qualify for the grand final on Saturday.

How did we end up here?

For the past two years, the European Broadcasting Union has staunchly rejected calls for Israel to be barred from the contest, saying that the Kan public broadcaster had not violated any rules, despite anger from some members over the war in Gaza.

But anti-Israel anger among a minority of EBU members reached a fever pitch following last year’s contest, where Israel’s Yuval Raphael came top in the televote, sparking accusations of voter fraud from a number of countries hostile toward Israel, though they were largely dismissed by the EBU.

The EBU then said it would hold a direct vote among members over Israel’s participation, before calling it off days after a landmark ceasefire was reached in Gaza in October 2025. Instead, at the organization’s annual December general assembly, members were presented with a package of reforms aimed at quelling some of the concerns.

EBU members voted overwhelmingly to accept the proposed reforms instead of forcing a direct vote on Israel’s participation that some national broadcasters had sought. That vote meant Israel was approved to stay in the contest, which led five nations – Spain, Ireland, Iceland, Slovenia and the Netherlands – to quit in protest.........

© The Times of Israel