Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has criticised several European countries for boycotting the Eurovision Song Contest and congratulated Israeli singer Noam Bettan for finishing second in the competition.
In a post on X written in both Hebrew and Spanish, Katz said Bettan’s strong performance was a response to what he described as an “incitement and defamation campaign” led by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and others who opposed Israel’s participation.
Spain, one of Eurovision’s biggest financial contributors, joined Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Iceland in a broadcast boycott of the event.
The public broadcasters of those countries refused to air the contest or send contestants, protesting the European Broadcasting Union’s decision to allow Israel to compete despite its ongoing military offensive in Gaza.
The boycott was accompanied by protests from audience members during both the semifinal and final in Vienna.
Bettan performed the song “Michelle” and finished in second place, behind the winning entry from Bulgaria.
Source: Al Jazeera