THIS is the shocking moment Israel was heavily booed after finishing runner-up at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026.
Loud jeers could be heard echoing around the Wiener Stadthalle arena in Vienna as received their points from the public.
Israel was heavily booed at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 Credit: AP
Israel’s contestant Noam Bettan was jeered througout Credit: AP
Host nation were quick to move things along before Bulgaria was eventually crowned the winner of this year’s competition.
Israel’s participation in this year’s contest has sparked fierce controversy amid the ongoing war in Gaza.
Five countries, including and Ireland, boycotted the event in protest at Israel being allowed to compete.
Critics accused organisers of double standards after was banned following its invasion of .
Spectators let their opinion about Israel’s participation known Credit: AFP
Israel briefly led on the leaderboard before being overtaken by Bulgaria Credit: EPA
Israel’s contestant Noam Bettan was booed during the semi-finals, with pro-Palestinian protesters chanting “Free Palestine” and “Stop the genocide”.
Huge protests were staged in Vienna, forcing organisers to ramp up security around the arena.
More than 1,000 musicians and cultural figures signed open letters calling for Israel to be excluded from the competition.
Despite the backlash, Eurovision bosses defended Israel’s right to participate, insisting the contest should remain “neutral”.
Singer DARA took home the trophy with her high-energy pop anthem “Bangaranga”, securing Bulgaria’s first-ever Eurovision victory.
The country topped both the jury vote and overall scoreboard, finishing ahead of Israel in second place.
Bulgaria finished on 516 points, edging out a tightly contested leaderboard filled with surprise results.
Israel had briefly led in the public vote, but was overtaken once jury scores were fully combined.
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Eze Chidiebere Paul
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