Overview
- The 70th contest began in Vienna with a turquoise‑carpet ceremony for 35 delegations despite calls to boycott Israel’s participation.
- National broadcasters in Spain, Ireland, Iceland, the Netherlands and Slovenia withdrew in protest, leaving one of the smallest fields since 2003 with 35 countries.
- Austrian authorities mobilized several hundred police each day, screened about 16,000 accredited workers through intelligence checks, and warned of higher cyber risks with FBI support.
- The European Broadcasting Union upheld Israel’s eligibility in a December secret ballot, reduced the weight of the public vote, and later warned Israel’s broadcaster over videos urging viewers to vote 10 times.
- Israel’s entrant is singer Noam Bettan, whose song includes French lyrics, as more than 1,000 artists urge a boycott and organizers prepare for pro‑Palestinian and pro‑Israeli rallies in Vienna.