Sofia, Bulgaria. Bulgaria won the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time on Saturday, in a final overshadowed by a five-country boycott over Gaza. Israel finished second after another large haul from the public vote.
Boycott and dispute over Israel’s participation
The annual competition, now in its 70th year and involving pop acts from countries across Europe and beyond, was disrupted by a dispute over Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, launched in response to the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023.
Public broadcasters from Spain, the Netherlands and Ireland, as well as Iceland and Slovenia, did not take part in protest at Israel’s participation.
Israel has alleged a global smear campaign against it. Its performance in the final was not marred by any obvious protests, unlike Tuesday’s semi-final.
Bulgaria’s winning entry and Dara’s comments
“This is unbelievable. I don’t even know what’s going on right now,” Bulgaria’s entrant Dara told a press conference after winning with her dance track “Bangaranga”, which avoided politics.
The song touches on themes of empowerment and surrendering to the night, and Dara said it had left many puzzled as to its meaning.
“Bangaranga is a feeling that everybody gets in themselves. It’s the moment that you choose to be in love and not fear,” Dara said when asked to explain the song in the “green room” where artists await the results.
“This is a special energy … Once you feel (at) one with nature and your universe, you feel the harmony that you can be whatever you want to be and that everything is possible,” she said.
Israel’s result and audience reaction
Israel’s entry, the trilingual love song “Michelle”, drew less controversy than its entry last year, which was performed by a survivor of the October 7 attack.
Some booing from the audience was audible when Israel’s points from the public vote sent it surging from eighth place to second, similarly to 2025, when it also finished second but closer to the winner than this year.
What impact do you think the boycott will have on future Eurovision participation decisions?