- author, mark savage
- role, music correspondent
Israeli singer Eden Golan has been selected to advance to the finals of the Eurovision Song Contest after a public vote.
Her victory came hours after thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters took to the streets of Malmö, Sweden, where the contest is being held, to show support for Gaza.
The night before, the 20-year-old singer was booed during a dress rehearsal. Thursday's semifinals again drew a mix of cheers and boos.
After the show, she said she was “overwhelmed with emotion.”
“I am truly honored to be able to stand on this stage as a representative.” [Israel] “I’m proud of it,” she said.
“Thank you so much to everyone who voted and showed their support, and to me.”
Who qualified from the second semi-final?
The 10 winners from Thursday's public vote are as follows:
- latvia
- Austria
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Israel
- Greece
- estonia
- Switzerland
- georgia
- armenia
This means that the six eliminated countries are Malta, Albania, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, and San Marino.
Israel's participation in Eurovision is controversial as the war between Israel and Hamas enters its seventh month, with civilian deaths rising and the humanitarian situation deteriorating in the Gaza Strip.
On Thursday afternoon, smoke bombs in the colors of the Palestinian flag were set off in Malmö's main square, with chants of “Liberate Palestine”.
Small demonstrations in support of Israel were also held.
The protests have been largely peaceful, but armed police have been stationed outside the hotel where Golan is staying, and he is confined to his room when he is not on stage.
After receiving hostile treatment during dress rehearsals, the singer said there was “nothing stopping” her from participating in the contest.
Prior to the semi-finals, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent Golan a message of support. via social media.
“Eden, I wish you success,” he said in Hebrew.
“Did you know? You've already succeeded – not only are you competing at Eurovision proudly and in a very impressive way, but you've also successfully braved an ugly wave of anti-Semitism – and you I am honored to stand up to that and represent the nation of Israel.
“What a blessing. When people shout 'boo' at you, we shout 'hooray!'”
Golan's song is the fifth most popular favorite to win Saturday night's contest, according to bookmakers.
At the top of the odds is Croatian artist Baby Lasagna, whose fiery dance anthem Rim Tim Tagi Dim qualified from Tuesday's first semi-final.
Switzerland's Nemo, whose operatic pop song “The Chord” was second favorite, was one of 10 artists voted on after Thursday's show.
The singer gave one of the night's most impressive athletic performances, dancing on a spinning turntable while singing about coming to terms with her non-binary identity.
Other artists who qualified included Austria's Karin, who sang the techno anthem “We Will Rave,” and Armenia's Radaniva, who brought a Balkan flavor to the competition with her cheeky and peppy song “Jaco.” It was.
Greek singer Marina Zatti also completed the race safely despite suffering from sore throat and fever just before the performance.
Meanwhile, Latvia and Georgia ended an eight-year losing streak and reached the finals for the first time since 2016.
The second semi-final also saw performances from former Eurovision winners Helena Paparizou, Charlotte Perelli and Sertab Eleanor, who led the crowd in a singalong medley of their winning entries during the break.
Host Petra Mede also sang a sarcastic number boasting about Sweden's seven Eurovision wins. The sequence also featured last year's runner-up Kaaliya's jaw-dropping and glorious repeat performance.
And the show ended with Swedish pop trio Herrey's celebrating the 40th anniversary of Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley, the no-nonsense classic that won the contest in 1984.
Saturday's final will take place at 8pm BST, with former Years & Years star Olly Alexander representing Great Britain.
The program will be broadcast live on BBC One and BBC Radio 2.