Israel’s contestant at the Eurovision Song Contest, Noam Bettan, has said he was surprised by protests that disrupted his semi-final performance.
Several audience members – including one with "Free Palestine" written across his chest – were removed from Vienna’s Wiener Stadthalle on Tuesday night after chants of "stop the genocide" were heard during the song.
Israel’s presence at Eurovision has been contentious since the start of the war in Gaza in 2023.
The public broadcasters of five countries – Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland and Slovenia – are boycotting this year’s event, making it the smallest since 2003.
Bettan has been at the centre of a minor controversy, after he asked fans on social media to use all 10 of their votes to support Israel at Saturday’s grand final.
That prompted a rebuke from organisers, who said Bettan’s post "wasn’t in the spirit" of the competition, and demanded that it be deleted.
They also issued a formal warning to Israel’s broadcaster, Kan, which organises the country’s Eurovision entry.
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