Eurovision winner JJ has stirred controversy with his recent comments about Israel’s participation in the Eurovision Song Contest.
https://x.com/marcowenjones/status/1925199895033426141
In an interview with Spanish outlet El País, JJ expressed his hope that next year’s competition in Vienna would take place “without Israel.”
JJ’s remarks came after Israeli contestant Yuval Raphael unexpectedly advanced to the final through public voting. “There needs to be a change in the voting system,” JJ said.
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“There should be more transparency in the televoting. This year everything was very strange on that front.”
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Several European broadcasters have requested a review of the televoting process in light of these concerns.
https://x.com/ESCdiscord/status/1925454079649787949
Spain’s national broadcaster asked the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to reexamine the home voting system and publish detailed voting breakdowns, especially after Raphael received 12 points from the Spanish public.
Belgium’s Dutch-speaking VRT broadcaster issued a similar request and even hinted at potentially withdrawing from next year’s contest.
JJ critiques Israel’s Eurovision participation
However, Eurovision organizers have insisted that there is “no suspicion of bias or irregularities” in the voting process.
JJ also revealed that he tried to display a pride flag onstage during the final but was stopped by event staff. “The flag was in my pocket and just before I went onstage, someone from the organization saw it and said, ‘That’s not your national flag—you can’t take it out,'” he recounted. Members of the Israeli delegation reported that throughout the Eurovision event, the Austrian team conspicuously avoided them.
“They didn’t shun us demonstratively like last year,” one delegation member mentioned, “but they avoided eye contact. It was very noticeable.”
JJ’s victory with his song “Wasted Love” marks a significant moment, but his statements about Israel’s participation and the voting system are likely to spark much discussion in the lead-up to Eurovision 2026. He has expressed his intentions to use his platform to advocate for LGBTQ rights across Europe.
