By Nidal al-Mughrabi, Maayan Lubell and Dawoud Abu Alkas CAIRO/JERUSALEM/GAZA, May 13 (Reuters) - Israel has escalated its attacks in Gaza in the five weeks since halting its joint bombing with the U.

Israel's contestant at the Eurovision Song Contest has said he was surprised by protests that disrupted his semi-final performance. Several audience members - including one with "Free Palestine" written across his chest - were removed from Vienna's Wiener Stadthalle on Tuesday night after chants of "stop the genocide" were heard during the song.