Palestine flags were visible during the Eurovision dress rehearsal as political tensions threatened to play out in Vienna on the eve of this year’s final.
Ukrainian and Israeli flags were also seen in the concert hall as both nations prepared to compete for the grand prize on Saturday night.
On Friday evening performers from 25 countries staged a full dress rehearsal for the final of the contest’s 70th edition.
Eurovision is without five countries – Spain, Ireland, Iceland, the Netherlands and Slovenia – this year after their national broadcasters staged a boycott over Israel‘s inclusion.
Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez said in a statement
To provide well-rounded coverage and a breadth of insight across various events, we rely on contributions from several staff writers, each bringing their own area of expertise to our publication.
