Spain’s national broadcaster, RTVE, suffered a setback overnight between Saturday and Sunday, after it became clear that the Spanish public rejected the politicization of music and awarded Israel the maximum score—douze points (12 points)—despite the anti-Israel stance presented during the live broadcast.
During Yuval Raphael’s performance of her song “New Day Will Rise,” which swept up the European audience, RTVE displayed a political message on screen:
“When human rights are at stake, silence is not an option. Peace and justice for Palestine.”
The message appeared in both Spanish and English and sparked outrage among supporters of Israel, who argued it violated Eurovision rules prohibiting political statements during the broadcast.
Israel Tops the Public Vote
Despite the political messaging and the resulting uproar, the Spanish public cast their votes in Israel’s favor. At the end of the voting, Spain’s citizens awarded Israel the full 12 points—showing that support for Yuval Raphael’s song outweighed the political narrative.
In total, Israel finished the competition in second place with 357 points—297 from the public vote and only 60 from the professional juries. Although Yuval Raphael won the public vote, she did not take the overall victory. That honor went to Austria’s representative, JJ, whose song “Wasted Love” received 436 points.
The Countries That Gave Israel 12 Points
Despite the political tension, Yuval Raphael succeeded in moving the European public. Twelve countries awarded Israel the top score of 12 points: Australia, Azerbaijan, Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. In addition, the collective vote of non-participating countries—which vote as a single bloc—also gave Israel their maximum support.
Heidi Bacherem, a prominent pro-Israel advocate, posted on X in response:
“Spanish television broke Eurovision rules by airing a political message before the broadcast. It would be fitting if they were disqualified next year. Little bullies.”
Official Complaint by KAN
Israel’s public broadcaster, KAN, filed an official complaint with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), citing another political message that appeared during the semi-final intro clip for Yuval Raphael. The announcers stated:
“According to the UN, the number of casualties in Gaza exceeds 50,000, including more than 15,000 children.”
