FOR THE FIRST time since rehearsals began in Basel for the Eurovision Song Contest, Israeli singer Yuval Raphael was met with boos and pro-Palestinian protestors during a performance, while singing at a practice round for the semi-final.

Unlike her first rehearsal in front of a live audience yesterday, where she faced little to no backlash, today’s final “family rehearsal” saw numerous Palestinian flags waved in the crowd. Some audience members used whistles and booed during her performance.

In a statement this afternoon, Swiss broadcaster SRG said that six people, including a family, disrupted the rehearsal with “oversized flags”. “Security personnel were able to quickly identify those involved and escort them out of the hall,” SRG said.

“We would like to emphasise that the organisers are committed to a neutral, safe, inclusive and respectful environment at the ESC,” the broadcaster added. Israel’s presence at the song contest this year has once again been the subject of controversy over its government’s offensive in Gaza, which has killed over 52,800 people.