Eurovision mistake leaves fans stunned as potential clash winner revealed | World

Eurovision viewers were left stunned when the semi-final winner was accidentally leaked. The public vote in last night’s semi-final in Malmö, Sweden, was broadcast live on television, confusing viewers.

Italian broadcaster RAI mistakenly revealed the telephone voting percentages during Thursday evening’s performance. Public voting percentages are usually kept secret until the end of the competition.

Israel – which faced huge protests over its place in the competition this year due to the ongoing war in Gaza – won the Italian public vote with an overwhelming majority. Nearly 40 percent of Italian viewers supported Israeli singer Eden Golan, while the runner-up, the Netherlands, won just 7 percent of the vote.

This unprecedented tally surpasses the 24% of Italians who voted for Ukraine in the 2022 contest.

The astonishing margin of victory has prompted bookmakers to slash Israel’s chances of victory in tomorrow’s event in Sweden’s third-largest city. Israel is now the second favorite, behind Croatia.

This year’s singing competition was the subject of controversy and huge protests due to the inclusion of Israeli singer Eden Golan, with the song Hurricane. The song was renamed from the politically charged title October Rain.

Activists and supporters have urged the competition to disqualify Israel because of the ongoing war in Gaza, which has left an estimated 35,000 people dead. Activists have slammed double standards after Eurovision banned Russia from the competition following the invasion of Ukraine.

As Israel gained support from the Italian public, Eden Golan faced a more hostile reception inside the Malmö venue last night.

The 20-year-old singer’s performance was booed and drowned out by chants of Free Palestine from the audience.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last night praised Ms. Golan for “successfully confronting a wave of anti-Semitism while standing tall and representing the State of Israel with respect.”

Thousands of protesters, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, also marched outside the venue against Israel’s inclusion.

Ms Thunberg said: “It is scandalous that Israel is allowed to participate. We cannot remain silent during a genocide.

A victory for Israel tomorrow night would cause another headache for Eurovision organizers as the winners will host the competition the following year.