The news was reported by the EuropaPresse agency, which also states that the Israeli delegation was placed in a separate room from the delegations of the other countries in the competition.

A few hours before the final of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest, the competition is experiencing moments of tension.

This morning, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) confirmed the elimination from the competition of the Dutch representative, Joost Klein, after suspending him from rehearsals on Friday.

According to the EBU, "Swedish police are investigating a complaint filed by a female member of the production team, following an incident that occurred after Joost Klein's performance in the semi-final on Thursday night".

In a statement released today, the EBU stated that it maintains a policy of "zero tolerance for inappropriate behaviour at the event" and is "committed to fostering a safe environment for all personnel" working on the contest.

The Dutch channel Avrotros, responsible for the Netherlands' presence in the competition, considered the exclusion of the competitor "disproportionate", and was "shocked by the decision", assuring that it will return to the subject "later".

According to that channel, Joost Klein informed the organisation that he did not want to be filmed at the end of the performance, in the second semi-final. However, a camera approached the singer, who ended up making a threatening gesture to the camera operator, he claimed.

Furthermore, Norwegian media outlets point out that the United Kingdom, Italy, Switzerland and Portugal considered withdrawing from the competition on Friday night. However, as of 6:30 pm today, the representatives of those countries were still in the competition.

Meanwhile, the Israeli television station KAN confirmed on social media that the EBU requested that the channel's delegation to the competition move to a different room from the one where the rest of the delegations are.

Although there is no official reason for the change, EuropaPress reports that, throughout the week, members of various delegations reported that members of the Israeli delegation harassed them to film them, after they had made some gesture related to Palestine.

On Friday, the Spanish public television station RTVE, through its delegation in Malmö, asked the EBU to guarantee freedom of the press and opinion during the festival, after an incident involving a journalist from Spain in the press room.

Spanish journalist Juanma Fernández reported that four people accredited by the Israeli delegation tried to intimidate him, after he shouted "Free Palestine" after Eden Golan's rehearsal.

The 68th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest is being marked by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which has been going on for decades, but intensified after an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas in Israel on 7 October, which caused almost 1,200 deaths, with the country led by Benjamin Netanyahu responding with an offensive that caused more than 34,000 deaths in the Gaza Strip, according to reports from both sides.

Since it became known that Israel would participate in the competition, represented by Eden Golan, several appeals were made by European political representatives and artists to the EBU to veto the country's participation in the competition.

On Thursday, thousands of people marched through the streets of Malmö demanding Israel's expulsion from the competition. The protest was repeated this afternoon.

According to the Spanish agency EFE, the demonstrations were called by the platform Stop Israel, for peace and a free Palestine, which brings together more than 60 organisations.

Israel, which is one of the 25 countries that will compete in the Eurovision final today, was the first non-European country to be allowed to participate in the music competition, in 1973, and has won four times, including with transgender singer Dana International, in 1998.

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