Protesters with Palestinian flags and banners took part in a "silent" march along one of the city's main streets to demonstrate against Israel’s participation in the pan-continental pop competition.

The music superstar delivered a pre-recorded message to the multi-national singing competition as Dion continues to battle a rare neurological disorder called Stiff Person Syndrome.

Eurovision 2025 starts on Tuesday, May 13, at 3 p.m. ET/noon PT for fans in the U.S. The contest runs through the Grand Final on Saturday, May 17, also starting at 3 p.m. ET/noon PT. Here’s the schedule:

It’s a moment that would have been unthinkable 19 months ago, when Raphael was nearly murdered on the darkest day in Israel’s modern history.

Contestants from Malta, Sweden, Estonia, and the Netherlands are among those favored to win Eurovision this year.

Israel has competed in Eurovision for more than 50 years, and won four times. But last year’s event in the Swedish city of Malmo drew large demonstrations calling for Israel to be kicked out of the contest over its conduct of its war against Hamas in Gaza.

Halperin praised the song as hopeful and “very, very appropriate” for such a difficult time, and shared kind words about the well-known Israeli songwriter Keren Peles.