Israel's Eurovision act Noam Bettan receives a hero's welcome upon return

Israeli Eurovision contestant Noam Bettan returned to Israel on Sunday (May 17) after finishing second in the song contest, receiving an enthusiastic welcome at the International Ben Gurion Airport.

Bettan posed with last year’s Israeli Eurovision contestant, Yuval Raphael, an October 7 Hamas attack survivor who co-wrote Bettan’s Eurovision entry.

Speaking to reporters, Bettan thanked Israelis for their support throughout the competition and said he hoped the experience would create a sense of unity in the country.

Saturday night's show in Vienna saw Bulgaria win the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time, in a final overshadowed by the boycott of five countries over Gaza.

Israel, which finished in second place, received another big public vote that secured it runner-up spot for a second consecutive year.

The garish and usually good-natured competition involving pop acts from countries across Europe and beyond, now in its 70th year, was plunged into crisis by a dispute over Israel's military offensive in Gaza, a response to the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023.

The public broadcasters of heavyweights Spain, the Netherlands and Ireland, as well as Iceland and Slovenia, chose not to take part in protest at Israel's participation.

Israel has alleged a global smear campaign against it. Its performance at the final was not, however, marred by any obvious protests, unlike Tuesday's (May 12) semi-final.

Israel's trilingual love song "Michelle", stirred less controversy than its entry last year, which was sung by a survivor of the October 7 attack.

Production: Rami Amichay, Lee Marzel/Reuters