Spain and Belgium’s broadcasters accuse song contest of ‘encouraging manipulation’ after Yuval Raphael wins public vote

Spain's public broadcasting company says it will request a voting audit after Israel received a surprising number of votes

Israel’s Yuval Raphael defied expectations to come in second in the annual Eurovision song contest on Saturday, narrowly losing out to Austria after being buoyed by the popular vote but also drawing points from the juries in 14 countries. “Thank you, Europe! Am Yisrael chai!” Raphael shouted from the stage after her performance.

Pedro Sanchez said that the exclusion of Russia, but not Israel, meant that Eurovision organisers were “allowing double standards”.

Israel’s Yuval Raphael is keeping a low profile at the Eurovision Song Contest. The 24-year-old singer has done few interviews or appearances during Eurovision week, as Israel’s participation in the pan-continental pop music competition draws protests for a second year.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called on Monday for Israel's exclusion from international cultural events such as the Eurovision song contest over its military campaign in Gaza, just as Russia was barred after its invasion of Ukraine.

Yuval Raphael is a 24-year-old Israeli singer and survivor of the October 7 Supernova festival attack, representing Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest 2025.

RTVE, which courted controversy with its openly anti-Israel stance during its coverage of the competition, reportedly harbours ‘doubts’ about the validity of the public vote.