Israel finished fifth in the final of the Eurovision 2024 Song Contest which was held on Saturday night, winning 375 points, 323 of which were awarded by the audience and the remaining by the juries of the various countries.
Switzerland finished first in the competition which was held in Malmo, Sweden.
Switzerland received 591 points for its song, “The Code”, performed by Nemo. Croatia, which was ranked atop the betting odds, settled for second place. Third place was taken by Ukraine, followed by France.
This is the third victory for Switzerland in the history of its participation in Eurovision. Its first victory was in the first Eurovision contest which was held in 1956 and its second was in 1988, when Celine Dion was its representative.
The juries in Latvia awarded 2 points to the Israeli song "Hurricane" performed by Eden Golan. Malta, Georgia, Moldova and France each awarded Israel 3 points. Lithuania gave it 4, Estonia and Belgium - 5 points each, and Norway, Germany and Cyprus - 8 points each.
Israel received 52 points from 11 countries. Every country that awarded points to Israel was booed in the hall when its ranking was revealed. Israel awarded its 12 points to Israeli-born Tali Golergant, who represented Luxembourg.
Israel's Eurovision representative, Eden Golan, said after the final that she was proud of her achievement. "I am so proud of the place we have reached. I am proud of the privilege I have been given to represent my country with honor and I am proud to be the one who was sent on this mission this year," said Golan.
"From the first moment we had one goal, and that was to make Israel's strong voice known to the entire world, and I know that we achieved this goal in a big way. There were difficult moments, but with courage and a huge support from you, we did not give up and gave our all. I want to thank everyone who supported me, my country, the amazing members of the delegation and my family whom I can't wait to see and give a big hug."
"I do not forget for a moment our hostages and dedicate my participation in the competition to them. The nation of Israel is alive," concluded the Israeli representative.
25 countries took the stage in the finals in Malmo, Sweden, on Saturday night. The 26th country that was supposed to participate in the competition, the Netherlands, was unexpectedly booted from competition following a complaint against its representative, Joost Klein, by a female member of the production staff.
Golan performed the song "Hurricane" as pro-Palestinian Arab activists booed in the background. The event opened with the traditional parade of flags, and when Golan came on stage, boos were heard in the hall.
After her performance, Golan got off the stage and burst into tears of excitement.
During the day, thousands of demonstrators marched in Malmo and chanted slogans against Israel. Some of the demonstrators were also heard shouting "Intifada!" and "Israel out!"