What Second Place Really Means for Israel
Eli L takes a look back at last night’s tight Eurovision competition which had us all on the edge of our couches!
At exactly 11:59pm on Saturday 17th April, a collective scream echoed around the postcodes of Northwest London as Israel, a country responsible for boycotts, boos, and borderline banishment, came a close second to Bulgaria in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026.
But what does second place really mean for Israel?
123 Jury Votes
That’s 123 times a jury decided they would not treat us like pariahs.
One 12-pointer
That’s one country that decided, not only to give us a donation, but to outwardly express admiration and love for us on international television.
220 Audience Votes
Community members and friends across Europe have shown that they are not only willing to stand by our side and unite to help us win, but are also willing to pay £1.50 for the pleasure.
10s and 12s across the board
An audience score like this implies a consistent 10-12 voting from audiences across European countries. Implying a consistent favouring for Israel across Europe.
In short, we smashed it.
We had a banger of a night!
Spain, Ireland, and Slovenia were sat at home twiddling their thumbs whilst we waved our flag high and showed the world that the boos don’t bother us.
A huge congratulations to Noam Bettan, can’t wait to see us win in Sofia!!
Am Yisrael Chai!!
