{"id":23197,"date":"2025-05-15T22:30:04","date_gmt":"2025-05-15T19:30:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/?p=23197"},"modified":"2025-05-15T22:30:04","modified_gmt":"2025-05-15T19:30:04","slug":"israels-yuval-raphael-battles-for-spot-in-eurovision-grand-final","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/israels-yuval-raphael-battles-for-spot-in-eurovision-grand-final\/","title":{"rendered":"Israel\u2019s Yuval Raphael Battles for Spot in Eurovision Grand Final"},"content":{"rendered":"

As the second semifinal of Eurovision 2025 kicks off tonight (Thursday) in Basel, Switzerland, Israel\u2019s Yuval Raphael will take the stage with her empowering anthem \u201cNew Day Will Rise.\u201d Sixteen countries are vying for the ten remaining slots in Saturday night\u2019s grand final, scheduled for May 17.<\/p>\n

We Will Never Stop Dancing<\/strong>
\nRaphael is set to perform 14th in the lineup, with her appearance expected around 11:16 p.m. local time. Earlier in the evening, Israel\u2019s Minister of Culture and Sport Miki Zohar sent a public message of support on social media: \u201cWishing Yuval Raphael the best of luck tonight in Basel! You are stepping onto the world\u2019s biggest stage just one year and seven months after the horrors of October 7.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTonight, you will raise your voice\u2014our voice\u2014and show the world that we will never stop dancing,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Eurovision 2025: Final stage rehearsals underway in Basel | Photo: Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tensions Offstage: Protesters, Threats, and Unshakable Focus<\/strong>
\nFor Raphael, her time in Basel hasn\u2019t been all glitter and rehearsals. Upon her arrival in Switzerland, she and the Israeli delegation were met with pro-Palestinian protests, including boos and a disturbing gesture by a protester simulating a throat-slitting motion.<\/p>\n

Despite the tense atmosphere, Raphael has remained focused and resolute, continuing her final rehearsals ahead of tonight\u2019s performance.<\/p>\n

Shifting Odds\u2014but Steady Determination<\/strong>
\nFollowing the first semifinal\u2014where Raphael did not compete\u2014Israel\u2019s ranking slipped slightly in betting polls, dropping from 4th to 5th place. Still, sources close to Raphael say she is undaunted and fully committed to delivering a powerful and meaningful performance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Performing \u201cNew Day Will Rise,\u201d Raphael faces intense spotlight, political tensions, and a chance at the grand final.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":43,"featured_media":23198,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,84,65],"tags":[5716,3106,4723,2931],"class_list":["post-23197","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","category-recreation","category-world","tag-basel","tag-eurovision","tag-switzerland","tag-yuval-raphael"],"yoast_head":"\nIsrael\u2019s Yuval Raphael Battles for Spot in Eurovision Grand Final - REGA news<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Israel\u2019s Yuval Raphael Battles for Spot in Eurovision Grand Final\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Performing \u201cNew Day Will Rise,\u201d Raphael faces intense spotlight, political tensions, and a chance at the grand final.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/israels-yuval-raphael-battles-for-spot-in-eurovision-grand-final\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"REGA news\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-05-15T19:30:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/eurovision.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2048\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1365\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Linoy Reter\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Linoy Reter\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/israels-yuval-raphael-battles-for-spot-in-eurovision-grand-final\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/israels-yuval-raphael-battles-for-spot-in-eurovision-grand-final\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Linoy Reter\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/c3caaac7990d6bd3d3964fb6e0987409\"},\"headline\":\"Israel\u2019s Yuval Raphael Battles for Spot in Eurovision Grand Final\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-05-15T19:30:04+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/israels-yuval-raphael-battles-for-spot-in-eurovision-grand-final\/\"},\"wordCount\":283,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/israels-yuval-raphael-battles-for-spot-in-eurovision-grand-final\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/eurovision.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"Basel\",\"Eurovision\",\"Switzerland\",\"Yuval Raphael\"],\"articleSection\":[\"CULTURE\",\"RECREATION\",\"WORLD\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/israels-yuval-raphael-battles-for-spot-in-eurovision-grand-final\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/israels-yuval-raphael-battles-for-spot-in-eurovision-grand-final\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/israels-yuval-raphael-battles-for-spot-in-eurovision-grand-final\/\",\"name\":\"Israel\u2019s Yuval Raphael Battles for Spot in Eurovision Grand Final - 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