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Date Published: 19/05/2025

Spain places third-to-last in Eurovision and Israel has the last laugh

International controversy has reignited after the Spanish televote handed 12 points to Israel in the Eurovision final

Spain’s dismal performance in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest has come hand-in-hand with a political row as Israel’s representative, Yuval Raphael, surged to near victory thanks to overwhelming support from the European public, and particularly from Spain.

The Spanish entry, seasoned Eurovision performer Melody, placed third from the end of the list with ‘Esa Diva’ (‘That Diva’). Spain’s televoters awarded their maximum 12 points to Israel, sending the Israeli entry into second place overall and triggering a pointed response from an Israeli minister.

Amichai Chikli, Israel’s Minister of Diaspora Affairs and the Fight against Anti-Semitism, took to social media following the result, posting a message in Spanish directed at Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.

“Sánchez, it seems that the Spaniards have spoken and we have heard the slap in the face here in Jerusalem,” Chikli wrote in Spanish on X (formerly Twitter), accompanied by a breakdown of the Spanish televote that showed Israel at the top.

Sanchez, parece que los españoles han hablado y la bofetada la hemos escuchado aquí en Jerusalén.@sanchezcastejon pic.twitter.com/hRYC3bsII6
— עמיחי שיקלי - Amichai Chikli (@AmichaiChikli) May 18, 2025

This is the second year in a row that Spanish televoters have given Israel the top score, a gesture that appears to fly in the face of Spain’s official political stance during the ongoing war in Gaza.

The timing of the message was deliberate, and it revived tensions between the two governments. Chikli has previously labelled Sánchez “an anti-Semite” for pushing international recognition of the Palestinian state shortly after the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023.

During the Eurovision final this Saturday May 17, the Israeli performance was met with booing, though not as loudly as it was last year. In Spain, controversy had already been brewing since the second semi-final, when Spanish commentators Julia Varela and Tony Aguilar reminded viewers that RTVE, Spain’s public broadcaster, had formally asked the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to debate Israel’s continued participation in the contest due to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which they noted had claimed “more than 50,000” lives.

This comment prompted a warning from the EBU that RTVE could face sanctions if it repeated such statements. RTVE responded defiantly, airing a black screen just before the start of the final with the message, “When human rights are at stake, silence is not an option. Peace and Justice for Palestine.” The statement, broadcast in both English and Spanish, was later shared on social media by RTVE’s president, José Pablo López.

Following the final, RTVE voiced concern about the impact of geopolitics on the televote. Of the 357 points received by Yuval Raphael, 232 came solely from public votes. RTVE has now called on Eurovision organisers to examine whether global conflicts are skewing public voting in a way that undermines the contest’s cultural and artistic values.

“Several countries share this view and will also be requesting the opening of a formal debate,” RTVE said in a statement.

In addition, the Spanish delegation is asking for a more detailed breakdown of the televote within Spain to see how many votes each country received. Current data only shows the number of total votes cast: in the first semi-final, Spanish voters registered 774 calls, 2,377 SMS and 11,310 online votes. In the final, these figures rose significantly to 7,283 calls, 23,840 SMS and 111,565 online votes.

The Eurovision Song Contest 2025 was won by Austria’s JJ.

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