The televoting system currently used in Eurovision is considered the most advanced in the world today," Eurovision director said.

Israel’s Yuval Raphael defied expectations to come in second in the annual Eurovision song contest on Saturday, narrowly losing out to Austria after being buoyed by the popular vote but also drawing points from the juries in 14 countries. “Thank you, Europe! Am Yisrael chai!” Raphael shouted from the stage after her performance.

The organizers of the Eurovision Song Contest have been called on to explain the conspicuously high number of public votes that Israel received. Several broadcasters have contacted the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) in Geneva regarding the allocation of points.