Finland and Israel Survive Eurovision Semi-Final as Boycotts Shake the Song Contest

There is no war quite like the one fought with three-minute pop songs, pyrotechnics, and questionable fashion choices. The first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest took place on Tuesday, and as always, the real drama was split evenly between the stage and the politics.

Fifteen countries performed their tightly choreographed, often explosive little numbers. When the votes were counted — juries from participating nations plus viewers around the world weighing in — ten acts made it through to Saturday's final. Among the survivors: Finland, the betting markets' favourite, and Israel, whose presence in the competition continues to be a source of intense controversy.

Finland advanced with a song called "Liekinheitin" — that is Finnish for "Flamethrower" — which apparently combines anguished pop vocals from singer Pete Parkkonen with some rather fiery fiddling from violinist Linda Lampenius. It sounds exactly as chaotic as the name suggests.

Joining them in the final are Greece's Akylas with a party-rap track titled "Ferto" ("Bring It"), Serbian goth metal band Lavina performing "Kraj Mene," Moldovan folk-rapper Satoshi with "Viva, Moldova!", and Croatian female ensemble Lelek singing "Andromeda." Belgium pulled off something of an upset by making it through. Croatia, Lithuania, Poland, and Sweden also secured their spots.

Five countries, however, were sent home after the first night. Estonia, Georgia, Montenegro, Portugal, and San Marino all failed to qualify. That last one stings a little extra: San Marino had brought in 1980s icon Boy George for a guest appearance on singer Senhit's song "Superstar." Apparently not even Culture Club royalty could save them.

A second semi-final on Thursday will choose ten more finalists. Meanwhile, the UK, France, Germany, and Italy automatically qualify because they help pay the bills — they are among the contest's biggest funders. Austria, as last year's winner, also gets a free pass as host country.

Now for the politics, because there is always politics.

This year marks the 70th edition of Eurovision. The motto is "United by Music," and 35 countries are theoretically competing under that banner in host city Vienna. But unity is not exactly in the air. Five countries — Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Iceland — announced in December that they would not participate this year. Their reason? A boycott to protest Israel's inclusion in the contest.

The controversy is not new. Last year's contest in Malmö, Sweden, and the year before that in Basel, Switzerland, both saw pro-Palestinian protests calling for Israel to be expelled over its conduct in the war in Gaza. There were also allegations that Israel ran a rule-breaking marketing campaign to get votes for its contestant. The European Broadcasting Union, which runs Eurovision, responded by tightening voting rules: each person can now cast only ten votes (down from the previous limit), and safeguards against suspicious or coordinated voting activity have been strengthened.

But the EBU drew a line at kicking Israel out. That decision triggered the five-country boycott, which organisers have to be feeling financially. Last year, they claimed 166 million people worldwide watched the event. Losing five participants is not exactly a growth strategy.

Other countries have returned — Bulgaria, Moldova, and Romania are back after skipping recent editions for artistic or financial reasons — but the total number of participants stands at 35, the lowest since 2003.

As for the Israeli act itself? Singer Noam Bettan performed a rock ballad called "Michelle" to a mixed reception. The auditorium reportedly heard both shouts of protest and cheers. Either way, Bettan made it through to Saturday's final, one of the ten acts voted in.

Several pro-Palestinian demonstrations are planned during Eurovision week, including an event called "No Stage for Genocide," whose backers have urged performers to withdraw from the competition.

Jonathan Hendrickx, a media researcher at the University of Copenhagen, offered a sober take. He said any further boycotts would strain the contest's structure and raise serious doubts about its future. "They really are at their limits now," he said, "_in terms of what they can handle with the current format._Italic"

So on Saturday, Vienna will host a final. Finland will bring their flamethrower. Israel will bring their ballad. And five countries will be watching from home, on purpose. Eurovision turns 70 this year. It does not look a day over complicated.