Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke Wednesday with Yuval Raphael, Israel’s representative at Eurovision 2025, four days after she earned second place in the international song competition held in Basel. The delayed phone call drew attention, particularly after a segment featuring the performance’s director, Yoav Tzafir, was omitted from the official video released by the Prime Minister’s Office.
According to sources familiar with the matter, efforts were made to coordinate a conversation earlier, but scheduling conflicts on both sides reportedly prevented it.
Before the contest, Netanyahu had posted a message of support on his Telegram channel, but the two had not spoken directly until this week. In the call, Netanyahu praised Raphael’s performance: “You brought so much pride and honor to our country, especially after everything you’ve been through. You elevated Israel’s standing and moved an entire nation when you held the flag and declared, ‘Am Yisrael Chai’ [The people of Israel live].”
Raphael thanked the prime minister for his words, saying, “All I wanted was to offer a moment of pride and comfort to my country—that’s all I had in mind. And most importantly, I hope all the hostages return home soon, every last one of them, so they can be here with us and begin to heal.”
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While video of the conversation was later released by the Prime Minister’s Office, Tzafir—who joined the call and thanked Israel’s public broadcaster Kan—was edited out of the version shared with the public.
The Eurovision final took place Saturday night. Raphael finished in second place with 357 points, marking a major achievement for Israel. Austria’s J.J. won the contest with “Wasted Love,” which received 436 points.