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JJ speaking to the media after winning the Eurovision song contest.

Eurovision winner hopes Israel won't compete next year

JJ said that it is “disappointing” that Israel is still allowed to participate in the competition.

THIS YEAR’S WINNER of the Eurovision song contest has said that he would like next year’s competition to go ahead in Austria “without Israel”. 

Johannes Pietsch, 24, from Austria, yesterday said in an interview with the Spanish outlet El Pais, that it is “very disappointing to see Israel still participating in the competition.” 

Pietsch, who narrowly beat out Israel’s entrant for the win, also called for “greater transparency” regarding the televoting element of the judging process, saying that this year “everything was very strange about it”, after Israel dominated the public vote. 

The Spanish Eurovision delegation has requested an audit of the televoting process, and the Belgian broadcaster VRT has threatened to pull out of the competition if the matter is not clarified by the EBU (European Broadcasting Union). 

Pietsch, who is queer, also said that he tried to “sneak” an LGBTQ+ flag onto the stage during the final for his performance of ‘Wasted Love’, but that the organisers “caught” him at the last minute. 

“We artists can only raise our voices,” Pietsch further said. 

Israel’s entry, ‘New Day Will Rise’, sung by Yuval Raphael, a survivor of the 7 October attacks, came second, but came first in audience voting. 

Ireland has joined in Spain’s call for a review of the Eurovision voting process, alongside Finland, and the Netherlands. 

There has been criticism of the fact that an audience member watching from home can cast up to 20 votes. 

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has also called for Israel to be banned from the Eurovision. 

Martin Green, the director of Eurovision, made a statement this week about the integrity of the voting system, calling it “the most advanced in the world”. 

Need more information on what is happening in Israel and Palestine? Check out our FactCheck Knowledge Bank for essential reads and guides to navigating the news online.

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54 Comments
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    Mute Brendan O'Brien
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    May 22nd 2025, 2:02 PM

    It’s always good to see a bit of decency.

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    Mute Eoghan O Sullivan
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    May 22nd 2025, 2:25 PM

    Our ancestors experienced famine similar to that imposed on Palestinians now. Disgraceful what Israel are israelie government are doing. Paddystinians need to stand up for justice and peace in the Middle East, as Israelies can’t, or don’t want to – not sure which.

    243
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    Mute honey badger
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    May 22nd 2025, 2:38 PM

    @Eoghan O Sullivan: Our ancestors experienced at least 2 famines (1740/ 1845) that were many orders of magnitude worse than the famine that has been said to be coming to Gaza for the last 18 months. Similar? Are you historically illiterate? Wilfully ignorant? Both? Close to 1.6 million Irish died. Millions more emigrated. Ffs.

    40
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    Mute Brendan O'Brien
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    May 22nd 2025, 2:41 PM

    @honey badger: Anyone would think you were opposed to forced starvation of a civilian population.

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    Mute Brendan O'Brien
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    May 22nd 2025, 2:45 PM

    @honey badger: Imagine if the British had slaughtered 200,000 Irish with bombs and bullets back then (a comparable figure, pro rata).

    172
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    Mute honey badger
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    May 22nd 2025, 2:48 PM

    @Brendan O’Brien: Anyone would think the shoehorning of historically illiterate comparisons should be discouraged.

    14
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    Mute Brendan O'Brien
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    May 22nd 2025, 2:51 PM

    @honey badger: It’s not historically illiterate, and you are morally illiterate. You argue in favour of genocide day in and day out, while attempting and failing to maintain plausible deniability.

    181
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    Mute honey badger
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    May 22nd 2025, 2:56 PM

    @Brendan O’Brien: It’s entirely historically illiterate. Another session of your hysterical flights of fancy ( what if…) and the continued laminating of my words with additional histrionics is profoundly boring. Stop telling lies, Brendan.

    19
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    Mute Brendan O'Brien
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    May 22nd 2025, 3:01 PM

    @honey badger: You keep repeating the same words (hysterical, laminating, mantra) as if they can keep reality at bay. They can’t: you are defending the indefensible (child-slaughter on a massive scale), and you should be ashamed.

    150
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    Mute honey badger
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    May 22nd 2025, 3:13 PM

    @Brendan O’Brien: I will continue to. Your lies are unfortunate, but that’s on you, Mantra man.

    10
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    Mute Eoghan O Sullivan
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    May 22nd 2025, 3:16 PM

    @honey badger: will ya goway will ya. What kind of a …

    139
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    Mute Brendan O'Brien
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    May 22nd 2025, 3:18 PM

    @honey badger: What lies? Israel has slaughtered tens of thousands of children in 19 months and is now deliberately starving many, many more. To you, that’s not ‘a massive scale’?

    149
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    Mute honey badger
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    May 22nd 2025, 3:19 PM

    @Eoghan O Sullivan: Tosser. Go read a history book. I’ve read some embarrassing efforts to align Irelands history with the political identity that sprung up alongside Arrafat, but yours is easily the worst.

    10
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    Mute Brendan O'Brien
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    May 22nd 2025, 2:10 PM

    @Barry Murphy: A comment in very poor taste.

    191
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    Mute G F
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    May 22nd 2025, 2:36 PM

    @Barry Murphy: if you are looking for historical parallels you need to no further than the IDFs activities in Gaza. The Austrian painter was also very adept at manipulating opportunities with PR to disguise homicidal intent.

    162
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    Mute Dorothy Giselsson
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    May 22nd 2025, 3:28 PM

    No coincidence that the Eurovision sponsor..Moroccan Oil, which sounds like an oil company from Morocco is actually an Israeli cosmetic hair care company?

    136
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    Mute G F
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    May 22nd 2025, 2:33 PM

    By then it’s not unlikely that netenyahu and his ilk will be gone and on trial. A very large number of Israelis do not agree with the current madness. Just read Hareetz. Like America they are not all insane.

    179
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    Mute Oliver Cleary
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    May 22nd 2025, 3:11 PM

    @G F: Israel is fighting for survival. Israel fights only hamas uses all Palestinians as human shield. They want more slaughter because the global condemnation grows. They want death. They glorify the deaths as justified. War stops when hamas surrenders and leaves gaza. Gazans hate hamas. Look at the protests. Hamas has brought nothing but death and destruction. Give Israel its hostages and dead to bury with dignity.

    25
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    Mute Daratheprofessional 1
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    May 22nd 2025, 3:18 PM

    @Oliver Cleary:

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    Mute Bat Boy
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    May 22nd 2025, 3:31 PM

    “Martin Green, the director of Eurovision, made a statement this week about the integrity of the voting system, calling it “the most advanced in the world”.”

    Not against one of the top countries on the planet for cyber warfare/cyber propaganda.

    118
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    Mute JP
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    May 22nd 2025, 2:54 PM

    @Barry Murphy: What a sad sad comment.

    122
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    Mute Brendan O'Brien
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    May 22nd 2025, 2:19 PM

    @Barry Murphy: You don’t know that gay people were slaughtered in the concentration camps?

    155
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    Mute king kong
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    May 22nd 2025, 2:30 PM

    @Barry Murphy: How can someone put up such an objectively nonsense comment on a public forum.
    Very bad taste.

    157
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    Mute Jack Hayes
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    May 22nd 2025, 3:17 PM

    Daniela Weiss was given some recent medicine!

    103
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    Mute Tony
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    May 22nd 2025, 2:34 PM

    @Barry Murphy: barry can’t read. Point out where he said that barry? Oh you can’t be a he didn’t. It’s funny how you lot just make shit up to hide your support of genocide.

    147
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    Mute Jack Hayes
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    May 22nd 2025, 3:16 PM

    @Barry Murphy: Is that how you obtained your brain injury? Get well soon anyway.

    104
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    Mute honey badger
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    May 22nd 2025, 2:29 PM

    Ask JJ to go to the West Bank and wave his flag for Ahmad Abu Murkhiyeh. A young lad who was decapitated in Hebron for being gay and travelling to the LGBT Palestinian support office. (which, inexplicably, is based in Israel).
    The 20 vote thing has been in operation since the late 90s. It’s suddenly a profound and troubling issue now that there’s a decent chance that people would support a young Jewish woman who survived the Hamas massacre at a music festival.

    33
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    Mute Brendan O'Brien
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    May 22nd 2025, 2:36 PM

    @honey badger: Let’s say that 3% of Palestinians are gay: that would mean that Israel has slaughtered around 1500 gay Palestinians in the past 19 months. But you really, really care about one gay Palestinian if it serves your agenda.

    I thought you might quite your shilling after Israel fired at Irish diplomats, but no. You clearly have no sense of shame whatsoever.

    168
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    Mute Tony
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    May 22nd 2025, 2:38 PM

    @honey badger: What about the survivors that were gunned down by their own trigger happy army? You never talk of them. And you know well if the lad did goto the West Bank and wave a flag as you say he’d be shot by the IDF in seconds. For no reason other than he was there. So your stupid ‘what about’ statement is even more daft.

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    Mute honey badger
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    May 22nd 2025, 2:50 PM

    @Brendan O’Brien: I’m only presenting facts, mantra man.

    9
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    Mute Brendan O'Brien
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    May 22nd 2025, 2:52 PM

    @honey badger: No, you are only justifying genocide.

    156
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    Mute honey badger
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    May 22nd 2025, 2:53 PM

    @Tony: As I said to Mantra Man, I’ve only presented facts. “What about” conspiracy and hypotheticals doesn’t address those facts. Thanks though

    7
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    Mute Soundy Sound
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    May 22nd 2025, 3:03 PM

    @honey badger: you are just deflecting like you and your ilk always do. Deny, deflect and counter accuse. It’s all you have. And the world is waking up to Israel’s evil ways.

    149
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    Mute Eoghan O Sullivan
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    May 22nd 2025, 3:19 PM

    @Brendan O’Brien: great comparison…hadn’t thought of that.

    103
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    Mute Barry Murphy
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    May 22nd 2025, 2:14 PM

    @Brendan O’Brien: You must have developed your personality in a car crash.

    28
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    Mute J Ven
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    May 22nd 2025, 2:14 PM

    @Barry Murphy: He’s half Filipino, look at him, he, at best, would have been kicked out of 1942 Germany.

    23
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    Mute Barry Murphy
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    May 22nd 2025, 2:23 PM

    @Brendan O’Brien: No, I skip the article and sprint to the comment section to get drip fed priceless information from you, the smartest boy in the room.

    16
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    Mute Oliver Cleary
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    May 22nd 2025, 3:08 PM

    Yeh….let’s not give Jews a voice for anything. Especially with this years Singer (a christian) being so unlucky to survive Hamas slaughter by hiding under a pile of murdered teenagers. Let’s ban Israel for protecting themselves & fighting hamas who hide in hospitals and children’s bed rooms. Ridiculous

    22
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    Mute Brian D'Arcy
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    May 22nd 2025, 3:32 PM

    @Oliver Cleary: Was that since 1948 or just their latest genocide, slaughtering over 50,000? Zionists are very selective. Why is a Middle-Eastern country in Eurovision? Didn’t see Iran, Saudi Arabia or Jordan singing at it. Genocide is a form of defence now, the absurdity of Zionists. How did European Hews ebd up there by the way, ah yes, Europe but apparently because tried to etnically cleanse Jews from Europe then Israel has the right to do that to Arabs, European standards for you.

    119
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    Mute Bat Boy
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    May 22nd 2025, 3:33 PM

    @Oliver Cleary: Do you always conflate things like this?

    97
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    Mute Barry Murphy
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    May 22nd 2025, 2:49 PM

    @king kong: Imagine posting a comment on a public forum under the name King Kong and expect to be taking seriously! Knuckle dragger.

    10
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    Mute Barry Murphy
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    May 22nd 2025, 2:54 PM

    @Tony: Oh Anthony take a chill pill and relax, you’ll give yourself a nose bleed. I see you’ve labelled me because I share a different opinion, that’s the leftie looney party piece. Censor everything that we don’t agree with. Your mind is so fragile.

    14
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    Mute Padraic Horgan
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    May 22nd 2025, 2:16 PM

    Pietsch , who is queer ??

    7
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    Mute Francisco O brien
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    May 22nd 2025, 2:02 PM

    Not go happen their be next year

    4
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    Mute keith fay
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    May 22nd 2025, 2:54 PM

    @Francisco O brien: well said

    7
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    Mute Barry Murphy
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    May 22nd 2025, 2:16 PM

    @J Ven: Kicked out, maybe. Slaughtered, probably not. Massive difference.

    5
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    Mute Ichabod Crane
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    May 22nd 2025, 2:57 PM

    From the country that gave us Hitler.

    4
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    Mute Francisco O brien
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    May 22nd 2025, 2:04 PM

    Not go happen they will next year

    3
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    Mute Dave s
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    May 22nd 2025, 2:21 PM

    @Francisco O brien: Have another try.

    51
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    Mute Barry Murphy
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    May 22nd 2025, 2:58 PM

    @G F: I smell smoke, were you thinking to hard?

    3
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    Mute Barry Murphy
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    May 22nd 2025, 2:58 PM

    @JP: Another oxygen bandit.

    3
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