Following a particularly tense night and significant friction surrounding Israel’s participation in the Eurovision Song Contest this year, Israel has won second place in the competition for the second consecutive year.

Despite attempts to boycott Israel and remove it from the competition – a request that was denied but led to boycotts of the contest by Spain, Slovenia, the Netherlands, Iceland, and Ireland – Noam Bettan achieved a significant milestone for Israel against all odds with a successful performance that earned him the affection of both the public and the judges.

Even though the representatives from the past two years, Eden Golan (2024) and Yuval Raphael (2025), received fewer points from the judges, Bettan received a total of 123 points – a triple-digit figure that is significantly higher than the numbers achieved by the country’s performers in previous years.

After receiving an additional 220 points from the audience, Bettan propelled Israel to the top of the leaderboard, drawing mixed reactions from the crowd. Jeers and cheers echoed across the arena in response to the result, which was ultimately decided by Bulgaria, the winner of the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest.