Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest

Israel in the
Eurovision Song Contest

Eurovision Song Contest

Participating broadcaster| Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (IPBC/Kan; 2018–)

Formerly

* Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA; 1973–2017)

Participation summary
Appearances| 46 (39 finals)
First appearance| 1973
Highest placement| 1st: 1978, 1979, 1998, 2018
Host| 1979, 1999, 2019

Participation history

*     * 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979

* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1984
* 1985
* 1986

* 1987
* 1988
* 1989
* 1990
* 1991
* 1992
* 1993

* 1994
* 1995
*  ~~1996~~
* 1997
* 1998
* 1999
* 2000

* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007

* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014

* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
*  ~~2020~~
* 2021

* 2022
* 2023
* 2024
* 2025

Related articles

* Israel Song Festival
* Kdam Eurovision
* HaKokhav HaBa
* The X Factor Israel

External links
Israel's page at Eurovision.tv
For the most recent participation see
Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024

Israel has been represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 46 times since making its debut in 1973. The current Israeli participating broadcaster in the contest is the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (IPBC/Kan). Israel has won the contest four times, and has hosted the contest in Jerusalem in 1979 and 1999, and in Tel Aviv in 2019.

Israel's first appearance in the contest in 1973 was successful, with "Ey Sham" performed by Ilanit finishing fourth. Israel then achieved victories in 1978 and 1979, with "A-Ba-Ni-Bi" by Izhar Cohen and the Alphabeta, and "Hallelujah" by Milk and Honey. In 1980, the Israeli broadcaster declined to host the contest for a second successive year for financial reasons, and as the date for the contest in the Hague conflicted with Yom HaZikaron – Israeli Memorial Day – Israel did not participate. This is the only instance of a winning country not competing the following year. The country's best results in the 1980s were second-place finishes for "Hora" by Avi Toledano in 1982 and "Hi" by Ofra Haza in 1983. Former winner Izhar Cohen returned to place fifth with "Olé, Olé" in 1985, before "Kan" by Duo Datz finished third in 1991. Israel achieved its third victory in 1998, with "Diva" by Dana International. "Happy Birthday" by Eden then finished fifth in 1999. To date, Israel has the record for most participations and most wins in the contest without ever coming last, but it has placed second to last in the final three times, in 1986, 1993, and 2006, and got nul points from the juries in 2019.

Since the introduction of the semi-finals in 2004, Israel has failed to reach the final six times. In 2005, "HaSheket SheNish'ar" by Shiri Maimon gave the country its tenth top five result, finishing fourth. Having failed to qualify for the final for four consecutive years (2011–14), Israel reached the final in 2015 with "Golden Boy" by Nadav Guedj ultimately finishing ninth, and the country has participated in the final every year since, with the exception of 2022. Israel won the contest for a fourth time in 2018, with "Toy" by Netta.

## History

[edit]

The Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA) was a member of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), thus eligible to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest. It had participated in the contest, representing Israel, since the 18th edition in 1973. In 2017, the IBA was succeeded as national broadcaster by the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (IPBC/Kan), which has been in charge of participating in the contest for Israel since the following year.

To date, there have been four Israeli victories in the contest. Izhar Cohen and the Alphabeta won in Paris in 1978 with "A-Ba-Ni-Bi". On home ground in Jerusalem the following year, Israel won again, this time with "Hallelujah" performed by Milk and Honey. Unusually, Israel did not defend the title in 1980[1] (see below). The third victory came almost 20 years later in Birmingham in 1998, when Dana International took top honours with the song "Diva". It took a 20-year wait for Israel to record its fourth victory at the 2018 contest in Lisbon, with the song "Toy" by Netta, earning Israel its highest-ever score of 529 points.

Israel's earliest selections were picked by the IBA. The first singer to represent the country was Ilanit, who finished 4th in 1973. In 1972, while Ilanit was in Germany recording as part of the duo Ilan and Ilanit with her partner Shlomo Tzach, the duo received an offer to represent Germany in that year's contest. Since Israel was eligible to participate, they approached the IBA with a proposal that Ilanit would represent Israel. However, the registration period was over by then and Ilanit was told she could represent Israel in 1973.[2][3] After she was sent again four years later, it was decided that henceforth the winner of the Hebrew Song Festival would represent Israel. The 1978 and 1979 Israeli Eurovision winners were selected by this method. From 1981, the selection process took place via the Kdam Eurovision with the exception of 1990, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002–2004, 2006–2007, and 2010, when the IBA selected its representatives internally.

After winning the contest in 1978 and 1979, the IBA was financially and logistically unable to organise the event for a second consecutive year. The Netherlands agreed to host the 1980 contest in Israel's place. The date chosen for that year's contest coincided with Yom HaZikaron, Israeli Memorial Day, so Israel could not compete. This made Israel the only country to date unable to defend its title. The 1980 winning song "Pizmon Chozer" by The Brothers & the Sisters never had an opportunity to compete.

In 1984, Israel again refrained from participating due to the same date conflict. It was rumoured that Ilanit and the song "Balalaika" would have been its representative that year, but this was denied by Shlomo Zach, the producer of the song.[4][better source needed]

Israel's entries have had a mixed reception. Avi Toledano (1982) and Ofra Haza (1983) scored well with big revivalist numbers, but the all-singing, all-dancing style became less popular later in the decade and Israel's 1986 entry, "Yavo Yom" by Moti Giladi and Sarai Tzuriel, came in 19th.

In 1987, Israel finished 8th with "Shir Habatlanim" by the satiric duo Lazy Bums. Then-Israeli Minister of Culture, Yitzhak Navon, said he would resign if the song went on to represent Israel at the contest; this ultimately did not occur.

In 1990, Rita's "Shara Barkhovot" was not well received, but in 1991, Orna and Moshe Datz finished third, Israel's best result since 1983. Israel also had a 5th-place finish by Eden when it hosted the 1999 contest. Ping-Pong's disco effort in 2000 failed, though the group was noted for their optimistic lyrics and message of reconciliation and peace. They waved Syrian flags at the end of their performance, angering some Israelis.

In 2004, David D'Or came 11th in the semi-final with "Leha'amin", leaving Israel out of the final for the first time since 1997. Shiri Maimon with "HaSheket SheNish'ar" in 2005 brought Israel back to the top five, and ensured Israel a place in the 2006 final, where it was represented by singer Eddie Butler, who had finished 5th as part of Eden in 1999; however, his performance of the song "Together We Are One" finished 23rd, with only four points.

IBA's Eurovision committee chose Teapacks to represent Israel in the 2007 contest. Their humorous entry "Push the Button" finished in 24th place out of a semi-final field of 28 and failed to reach the final. Israel thus had to compete in the semi-final in 2008, from which it passed on to the final, with Boaz and "The Fire in Your Eyes" finishing ninth there. In 2009, an Arab citizen of Israel represented the country for the first time, as Mira Awad performed "There Must Be Another Way" alongside Jewish-Israeli singer Noa in Moscow. Israel was represented in 2010 by Harel Skaat, who came 14th in the final with "Milim".

Israel's participations from 2011 to 2014 were less successful, as former Eurovision winner Dana International in Düsseldorf, the band Izabo in Baku, Moran Mazor in Malmö and Mei Finegold in Copenhagen, all failed to qualify for the final. In 2015, Nadav Guedj brought Israel back to the final with "Golden Boy", the first Israeli entry without a Hebrew lyric. Prior to their fourth win, it also managed to qualify in 2016 with Hovi Star and "Made of Stars" (which finished 14th) and in 2017 with Imri Ziv and "I Feel Alive" (which finished 23rd, Israel's lowest placing in a Eurovision final since 2006). In 2019, as host country with Kobi Marimi and his song "Home", Israel was pre-qualified for the final, however, it eventually finished in 23rd place, making it the fourth time since 2015 that the host country ranked in the bottom five.

In 2020, Eden Alene was selected to represent the country with "Feker Libi". Following the cancellation of the 2020 edition, she was retained as the Israeli representative for 2021, this time with "Set Me Free", which went on to finish in 17th place in the final. The song notably includes a B6 whistle note, the highest note in the history of the contest. Michael Ben David represented Israel in 2022 with "I.M", but failed to qualify for the final, marking the first time that Israel missed out on a final since 2014.[5] Noa Kirel with "Unicorn" finished in third place in 2023, the country's best result since its 2018 win. In 2024, Eden Golan finished in fifth place with "Hurricane", which scored more points overall than "Unicorn".

## Participation overview

[edit]

Table key  1  | First place

|

2  | Second place
3  | Third place
X | Entry selected but did not compete
† | Upcoming event
Year  | Artist  | Song  | Language  | Final  | Points  | Semi  | Points

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1973 | Ilanit | "Ey Sham" (אי שם) | Hebrew | 4  | 97  | No semi-finals
1974 | Poogy | "Natati La Khaiai" (נתתי לה חיי) | Hebrew  | 7  | 11
1975 | Shlomo Artzi | "At Ve'Ani" (את ואני) | Hebrew  | 11  | 40
1976 | Chocolate, Menta, Mastik | "Emor Shalom" (אמור שלום) | Hebrew  | 6  | 77
1977 | Ilanit  | "Ahava Hi Shir Lishnayim" (אהבה היא שיר לשניים) | Hebrew  | 11  | 49
1978 | Izhar Cohen and the Alphabeta  | "A-Ba-Ni-Bi" (א-ב-ני-בי) | Hebrew  | 1  | 157
1979 | Milk and Honey | "Hallelujah" (הללויה) | Hebrew  | 1  | 125
1981 | Habibi | "Halayla" (הלילה) | Hebrew  | 7  | 56
1982 | Avi Toledano | "Hora" (הורה) | Hebrew  | 2  | 100
1983 | Ofra Haza | "Hi" (חי) | Hebrew  | 2  | 136
1985 | Izhar Cohen  | "Olé, Olé" (עולה, עולה) | Hebrew  | 5  | 93
1986 | Moti Giladi and Sarai Tzuriel | "Yavo Yom" (יבוא יום) | Hebrew  | 19  | 7
1987 | Datner and Kushnir | "Shir Habatlanim" (שיר הבטלנים) | Hebrew  | 8  | 73
1988 | Yardena Arazi | "Ben Adam" (בן אדם) | Hebrew  | 7  | 85
1989 | Gili and Galit  | "Derekh Hamelekh" (דרך המלך) | Hebrew  | 12  | 50
1990 | Rita | "Shara Barkhovot" (שרה ברחובות) | Hebrew  | 18  | 16
1991 | Duo Datz | "Kan" (כאן) | Hebrew  | 3  | 139
1992 | Dafna | "Ze Rak Sport" (זה רק ספורט) | Hebrew  | 6  | 85
1993 | Lehakat Shiru | "Shiru" (שירו) | Hebrew, English  | 24  | 4  | Kvalifikacija za Millstreet
1995 | Liora | "Amen" (אמן) | Hebrew  | 8  | 81  | No semi-finals
1996 | Galit Bell  | "Shalom Olam" (שלום עולם) | Hebrew  | Failed to qualify[a] X | 28  | 12
1998 | Dana International | "Diva" (דיווה) | Hebrew  | 1  | 172  | No semi-finals
1999 | Eden | "Happy Birthday"  | Hebrew, English  | 5  | 93
2000 | PingPong | "Sameach" (שמח) | Hebrew  | 22  | 7
2001 | Tal Sondak | "Ein Davar" (אין דבר) | Hebrew  | 16  | 25
2002 | Sarit Hadad | "Light a Candle"  | Hebrew, English  | 12  | 37
2003 | Lior Narkis | "Words for Love"  | Hebrew  | 19  | 17
2004 | David D'Or | "Leha'amin" (להאמין) | Hebrew, English  | Failed to qualify  | 11  | 57
2005 | Shiri Maimon | "HaSheket SheNish'ar" (השקט שנשאר) | English, Hebrew  | 4  | 154  | 7  | 158
2006 | Eddie Butler | "Together We Are One"  | English, Hebrew  | 23  | 4  | Top 11 in 2005 final[b]
2007 | Teapacks | "Push the Button"  | English, French, Hebrew  | Failed to qualify  | 24  | 17
2008 | Boaz | "The Fire in Your Eyes"  | Hebrew  | 9  | 124  | 5  | 104
2009 | Noa and Mira Awad | "There Must Be Another Way"  | English, Hebrew, Arabic | 16  | 53  | 7  | 75
2010 | Harel Skaat | "Milim" (מילים) | Hebrew  | 14  | 71  | 8  | 71
2011 | Dana International  | "Ding Dong"  | Hebrew, English  | Failed to qualify  | 15  | 38
2012 | Izabo | "Time"  | English, Hebrew  | 13  | 33
2013 | Moran Mazor | "Rak Bishvilo" (רק בשבילו) | Hebrew  | 14  | 40
2014 | Mei Finegold | "Same Heart"  | English, Hebrew  | 14  | 19
2015 | Nadav Guedj | "Golden Boy"  | English  | 9  | 97  | 3  | 151
2016 | Hovi Star | "Made of Stars"  | English  | 14  | 135  | 7  | 147
2017 | Imri | "I Feel Alive"  | English  | 23  | 39  | 3  | 207
2018 | Netta | "Toy"  | English  | 1  | 529  | 1  | 283
2019 | Kobi Marimi | "Home"  | English  | 23  | 35  | Host country
2020 | Eden Alene | "Feker Libi" (ፍቅር ልቤ) | English, Amharic | Contest cancelled[c] X
2021 | Eden Alene  | "Set Me Free"  | English, Hebrew  | 17  | 93  | 5  | 192
2022 | Michael Ben David | "I.M"  | English  | Failed to qualify  | 13  | 61
2023 | Noa Kirel | "Unicorn"  | English  | 3  | 362  | 3  | 127
2024 | Eden Golan | "Hurricane"  | English, Hebrew  | 5  | 375  | 1  | 194
2025 | Yuval Raphael | "New Day Will Rise"  | English, French, Hebrew  | Upcoming †

### Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest

[edit]

Artist  | Song  | Language  | At Congratulations | At Eurovision

|
|
|
|

Final  | Points  | Semi  | Points  | Year  | Place  | Points
Dana International | "Diva" (דיווה) | Hebrew | Failed to qualify  | 13  | 39  | 1998 | 1  | 172

## Hosting

[edit]

Year  | Location  | Venue  | Presenters  | Photo

|
|
|
|

1979 | Jerusalem | International Convention Center | Yardena Arazi and Daniel Pe'er |
1999 | Dafna Dekel, Sigal Shachmon and Yigal Ravid |
2019 | Tel Aviv | Expo Tel Aviv | Erez Tal, Bar Refaeli, Assi Azar and Lucy Ayoub |

## Awards

[edit]

### Marcel Bezençon Awards

[edit]

Year  | Category  | Song  | Composer(s)
lyrics (l) / Music (m) | Performer  | Final  | Points  | Host city  | Ref.

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

2010 | Press Award  | "Milim" (מילים) | Tomer Hadadi (m) and Noam Horev (l)  | Harel Skaat | 14  | 71  |  Oslo |

[6]

Artistic Award[d] |

[6]

Composer Award  |

[6]

### Winner by OGAE members

[edit]

Year  | Song  | Performer  | Final result  | Points  | Host city  | Ref.

|
|
|
|
|
|

2018 | "Toy"  | Netta | 1  | 529  |  Lisbon |

[7]

## Related involvement

[edit]

### Conductors

[edit]

Year  | Conductor[e] | Musical Director  | Notes  | Ref.

|
|
|
|

1973 | Nurit Hirsh | N/A  |  | [8]
1974 | Yoni Rechter |
1975 | Eldad Shrim  |
1976 | Matti Caspi |
1977 | Eldad Shrim  |
1978 | Nurit Hirsh  | Izhak Graziani  | [f]
1979 | Kobi Oshrat | [f][g]
1981 | Eldad Shrim  | N/A  |  | [9]
1982 | Nansi Silviu Brandes  | [h]
1983
1985 | Kobi Oshrat  |
1986 | Yoram Zadok  |
1987 | Kobi Oshrat  |
1988 | Eldad Shrim  |
1989 | Shaike Paikov  |
1990 | Rami Levin  |  |
1991 | Kobi Oshrat  |  |
1992 |  |
1993 | Amir Frohlich  |  |
1995 | Gadi Goldman  |  |
1998 | No conductor  |  |

### Heads of delegation

[edit]

Year  | Head of delegation  | Ref.

|
|

2002–2006 | Izchak Sonnenschein  |

[10][11]

2007–2016 | Yoav Ginai  |

[12][13][14]

2018 | Tal Barnea  |

[15][16]

2019–2020 | Tali Katz  |

[17][18]

2021–2023 | Yuval Fischer  |

[17][18]

2024 | Yoav Tzafir [he] |

[19]

### Commentators and spokespersons

[edit]

Until 2018, Israel only had a television commentator once, in 1979. In most cases, the IBA opted instead to simply broadcast the transmission without commentary and with Hebrew subtitles. Between 2013 and 2017, it also aired the contest with Arabic subtitles on Channel 33. In both 1984 and 1997, which Israel also had to miss due to the holiday, the IBA aired the show on delay, and there was no radio broadcast. It also typically provided radio commentary beginning in the early 1980s, unless the country was not participating that year (with the exception of 2000). The IBA did not provide commentary until 2013, when it resumed radio broadcasting. In 2018, the IBA's successor, Kan, employed television commentators for the contest, which was a first for the country since 1979. The Israeli transmission was also shown internationally via the Israeli Network in 2003 and 2004.[20]

Year  | Television commentator  | Radio commentator  | Spokesperson  | Ref.

|
|
|
|

1970 | No commentator | Unknown | Did not participate |
1971 | No broadcast |
1972 | No commentator |
1973 | No radio broadcast | No spokesperson |
1974 | Yitzhak Shim'oni [he] |
1975 |
1976 |
1977 |
1978 |
1979 | Yoram Arbel [he] | Yitzhak Shim'oni | Dan Kaner [he] |
1980 | No commentator | Unknown | Did not participate | [1]
1981 | Daniel Pe'er | Dan Kaner |
1982 | Yitzhak Shim'oni |
1983 |
1984 | Delayed, no commentator | No radio broadcast | Did not participate |
1985 | No commentator | Daniel Pe'er | Yitzhak Shim'oni |
1986 |
1987 | Yigal Ravid |
1988 |
1989 |
1990 |
1991 |
1992 | Yitzhak Shim'oni | Daniel Pe'er |
1993 | Daniel Pe'er | Danny Rup [he] |
1994 | No radio broadcast | Did not participate |
1995 | Danny Roup | Daniel Pe'er |
1996 | No radio broadcast | Did not participate |
1997 |
1998 | Daniel Pe'er | Yigal Ravid |
1999 | Yoav Ginai [he] |
2000 | No radio broadcast |
2001 | Daniel Pe'er |
2002 | Michal Zoharetz [he] |
2003 |
2004 | No radio broadcast | Merav Miller |
2005 | Dana Herman [he] |

[21]

2006 |
2007 | Jason Danino-Holt |

[22]

2008 | Noa Barak-Weshler |
2009 | Ofer Nachshon |

[23]

2010 |

[23]

2011 |

[23]

2012 |

[23]

2013 | Kobi Menora (all shows); Ofer Nachshon (semi-final 1);
Amit Kotler, Yuval Caspin (semi-final 2);
Ron Levinthal, Kobi Oshrat, Yhaloma Bat Porat (final)[24] |

[23]

2014 | Kobi Menora, Yuval Caspin (all shows)[25] |

[23]

2015 | Kobi Menora (all shows); Yuval Caspin (semi-final 1); Tal Argaman (semi-final 2)[26] |

[23]

2016 | Kobi Menora, Or Vaxman, Nansi Brandes (semi-final 2 and final)[27][28] |

[23]

2017 | Kobi Menora, Dori Ben Ze'ev, Alon Amir (all shows)[29] |

[23]

2018 | Asaf Liberman, Shir Reuven (semi-final 1)
Itai Herman, Goel Pinto (semi-final 2)
Erez Tal, Idit Hershkowitz (final) | Lucy Ayoub |

[23]

2019 | Sharon Taicher, Eran Zarachowicz | Izhar Cohen |

[30]

~~2020~~ | ~~Geula Even-Sa'ar, Asaf Liberman~~ | Not announced before cancellation |

[31]

2021 | Asaf Liberman, Akiva Novick  | Lucy Ayoub |

[32]

2022 | Daniel Styopin |

[33]

2023 | Asaf Liberman, Akiva Novick (all shows); Doron Medalie (final) | Asaf Liberman, Akiva Novick (semi-finals); Kobi Menora, Sharon Kantor (final) | Ilanit |

[34]

2024 | Asaf Liberman, Akiva Novick (all shows); Yoav Tzafir (final) | Unknown  | Maya Alkulumbre [he] |

[35][36][37][38]

## Costume designers

[edit]

Year  | Costume designers  | Ref.

|
|

1973 | Rozi Ben-Yosef  | [39]
1976 | Gideon Oberson  | [40]
1978 | Dorin Frankfurt  | [39]
1979
1982
1983
1985 | Nissim Mizrachi  | [41]
1988 | Perach Reuven  | [39]
1990 | Gideon Oberson  | [39]
1991 | Yaron Minkowsky  | [42]
1995
1998 | Galit Levi  | [39]
2002 | Pnina Tournet  | [43]
2005 | Riva Oshida  | [44]
2009 | [45]
2011 | Jean Paul Gaultier | [46]
2013 | Efrat Kalig  | [47]
2014 | Dana Barak  | [48]
2017 | David Sassoon  |
2018 | Maor Zabar  | [49]
2021 | Alon Livne | [50]
2024 | Alon Livne  | [51]
2025 | Victor Bellaish [he] | [52]

## Photo gallery

[edit]

* Chocolate, Menta, Mastik in The Hague (1976)

* David D'Or in Istanbul (2004)

* Teapacks in Helsinki (2007)

* Boaz in Belgrade (2008)

* Harel Skaat in Oslo (2010)

* Dana International in Düsseldorf (2011)

* Moran Mazor in Malmö (2013)

* Mei Finegold in Copenhagen (2014)

* Nadav Guedj in Vienna (2015)

* Hovi Star in Stockholm (2016)

* Imri in Kyiv (2017)

* Netta in Lisbon (2018)

* Kobi Marimi in Tel Aviv (2019)

* Eden Alene in Rotterdam (2021)

* Michael Ben David in Turin (2022)

* Noa Kirel in Liverpool (2023)

* Eden Golan in Malmö (2024)

## Controversies

[edit]

Further information: Controversies of the Eurovision Song Contest § Israeli participation

This section is an excerpt from Eurovision Song Contest § Political controversies.[edit]

A mural in Girona promoting a boycott of the 2019 contest in Israel Israel's participation in the contest has resulted in several controversial moments in the past, with the country's first appearance in 1973, less than a year after the Munich massacre, resulting in an increased security presence at the venue in Luxembourg City.[53][54][55][56] Their first win in 1978 proved controversial for Arab states broadcasting the contest which would typically cut to advertisements when Israel performed due to a lack of recognition of the country, and when it became apparent Israel would win, many of these broadcasters cut the feed before the end of the voting.[57][58][59] Broadcasters from Arab states which are eligible to compete have largely not participated, with Morocco the only Arab state to have entered Eurovision, competing for the first, and to date only time, in 1980 when Israel was absent.[60][61] Israel's participation has been criticised by those who oppose current government policies in the state, with calls raised by various political groups for a boycott ahead of the 2019 contest in Tel Aviv, including proponents of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement in response to the country's policies towards Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, as well as groups who take issue with perceived pinkwashing in Israel.[62][63] Others campaigned against a boycott, asserting that any cultural boycott would be antithetical to advancing peace in the region.[64][65] Israel's participation in the contest was again put into question following the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023, with renewed calls for the nation's exclusion ahead of the 2024 event.[66] Israel's entry for that year's contest was, however, accepted by the EBU,[67][68] although it was required to undergo rewrites as the EBU objected to the political nature of the original lyrics, which made reference to the 7 October Hamas-led attack on Israel.[69][70][71]

### Arab reaction

[edit]

In 1978, during the performance of the Israeli entry, the Jordanian broadcaster JRTV suspended the broadcast, and instead showed pictures of flowers. When it became apparent during the later stages of the voting sequence that Israel was going to win the contest, JRTV abruptly ended the transmission.[72] Afterwards, Jordanian news media refused to acknowledge Israel's victory, and announced that the winner was Belgium (which had actually come in second).[73] By coincidence, Israel did not broadcast the victory as well, as the IBA was unable to buy enough broadcasting time; the victory was broadcast the following day. At the time, Israeli television was in its infancy and broadcasting in black-and-white. Most Israelis therefore watched international events in colour, with the signal relayed via Jordan. As Jordan did not broadcast the Israeli entry and the IBA did not broadcast the results portion of the event, the win only became known via radio broadcasts.[citation needed]

Because of Israel's participation in the contest, many Arab states that are eligible to participate do not do so.[74][75] Tunisia intended to participate in 1977, but opted not to do so in the end; Lebanon also intended to participate in 2005 but later withdrew (incurring a fine by the EBU) because Lebanese law does not allow the promotion of Israeli content, and consequently Lebanese television was not allowed to transmit the Israeli entry – which would have been a violation of the contest's rules.[76]

## See also

[edit]

* Music of Israel
* Political controversies in the Eurovision Song Contest

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ In order to reduce the number of participating countries at the 1996 event a qualifying round was held among all countries except the hosts. Israel failed to progress from this round; entries which failed to progress have subsequently been discounted by the EBU and do not feature as part of the countries' list of appearances.
2. ^ According to the then-Eurovision rules, the top ten non-Big Four countries from the previous year along with the Big Four automatically qualified for the Grand Final without having to compete in semi-finals. For example, if Germany and France placed inside the top ten, the 11th and 12th spots were advanced to next year's Grand Final along with all countries ranked in the top ten.
3. ^ The 2020 contest was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
4. ^ Voted by commentators.
5. ^ All conductors are of Israeli nationality unless otherwise noted.
6. ^ a b Conducted by Izhak Graziani at the national final.
7. ^ Graziani also conducted the interval music.
8. ^ Went by "Silviu Nansi Brandes" at the contest.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b 1980 Eurovision, eurovision.tv
2. ^ ימים טובים, ימים רעים: אילנית פותחת פה על המדינה ועל נינט Sagi Ben-Nun, 27 April 2012, Makor Rishon (in Hebrew)
3. ^ ללכת שבי אחריה Yuval Abramovich, 16 April 2013, Israel HaYom (in Hebrew)
4. ^ "1984: עוד יישמע שירי בארץ ישראל" [1984: My song will be heard in the land of Israel]. Israel Hayom (in Hebrew). 22 April 2019. Retrieved 24 January 2025.
5. ^ "Israel has decided: Michael Ben David to Eurovision 2022". Eurovisionworld. 5 February 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
6. ^ a b c "Israeli grand slam in the Marcel Bezençon Awards". eurovision.tv. 31 May 2010. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
7. ^ "OGAE POLL 2018 – FINAL Results". OGAE. 28 March 2018. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
8. ^ Roxburgh, Gordon (2014). Songs for Europe: The United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest. Vol. Two: The 1970s. Prestatyn: Telos Publishing. pp. 142–168\. ISBN 978-1-84583-093-9.
9. ^ Roxburgh, Gordon (2016). Songs for Europe: The United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest. Vol. Three: The 1980s. Prestatyn: Telos Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84583-118-9.
10. ^ "הארץ".
11. ^ "סידורים אחרונים בקייב".
12. ^ Yudilovitch, Medal (5 November 2007). "Teapacks out of Eurovision". Ynet. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
13. ^ "Confirmed: Dana International makes Eurovision comeback". Eurovision.tv. EBU. 8 February 2011. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
14. ^ Laufer, Gil (31 May 2016). "Israel: Yoav Ginai concludes decades of Eurovision songwriting with compilation CD". ESCToday. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
15. ^ Jiandani, Sanjay (5 November 2018). "Eurovision 2019: Tal Barnea and Sharon Ben-David to join the CORE Team". ESCToday. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
16. ^ Lewis, Oliver (15 November 2018). "Tal Barnea and Sharon Ben-David join Tel Aviv's core team". ESCXTRA. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
17. ^ a b Gilad, Amir (24 January 2023). "ראש המשלחת הישראלית: 'המעריצים הם אלה שמחזיקים את האירוויזיון'". EuroMix (in Hebrew). Retrieved 21 November 2023.
18. ^ a b Granger, Anthony (15 March 2021). "Poland & Israel Reveal New Heads of Delegation For Eurovision 2021". Eurovoix. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
19. ^ Karlsson, Johanna (4 September 2024). "Eurovision nära kollaps en timme före finalen – hör röster inifrån kaoset" [Eurovision near collapse an hour before the final - hear voices from inside the chaos]. SVT Nyheter (in Swedish). Retrieved 4 September 2024.
20. ^ "EBU.CH :: 2004_05_11_ESC". EBU. Archived from the original on 8 April 2005. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
21. ^ Barak, Itamar (10 May 2005). "Dana Herman to give Israeli televote". ESCToday. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
22. ^ Barak, Itamar (19 April 2007). "Former MTV Europe VJ to present Israel's votes". ESCToday. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
23. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Granger, Anthony (31 March 2018). "Israel: Lucy Ayoub Announced as Eurovision 2018 Spokesperson". Eurovoix. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
24. ^ "88FMאירווזיון 2013 ב" [88FM in Eurovision 2013]. Israel Broadcasting Authority (in Hebrew). 11 May 2013. Archived from the original on 13 December 2013. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
25. ^ המופע של פרנק נֵף לקראת אירוויזיון 2014 [The performance of the Frank Neff preparation for Eurovision 2014]. Israel Broadcasting Authority (in Hebrew). 17 April 2014. Archived from the original on 24 April 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
26. ^ אירוויזיון 2015 מוינה בערוץ הראשון [Eurovision 2015 is classified into the first channel]. Israel Broadcasting Authority (in Hebrew). 12 May 2015. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
27. ^ נבחרו חברי צוות השיפוט הישראלי לאירוויזיון. iba.org.il (in Hebrew). Israel Broadcasting Authority. 3 May 2016. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
28. ^ "בהצלחה ל-Hovi Star הערב ב-Eurovision Song... - 88 FM - הדף הרשמי" (in Hebrew). Kol Yisrael. 12 May 2016. Archived from the original on 26 February 2022. Retrieved 12 May 2016 - via Facebook.
29. ^ Laufer, Gil (10 May 2017). "Israel national broadcaster IBA is officially shut down". esctoday.com. ESCToday. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
30. ^ Granger, Anthony (15 April 2019). "Israel: Izhar Cohen Revealed as Spokesperson". Eurovoix. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
31. ^ "נחשפו פרשני האירוויזיון של 'כאן'". kipa.co.il (in Hebrew). 22 January 2020.
32. ^ "ישראל: נחשפו פרשני משדר האירוויזיון ומגישת הנקודות הישראלית - אירוויזיון 2021". 3 May 2021.
33. ^ Zaikaner, Avi (18 April 2022). "ישראל: מי יפרשן את משדר האירוויזיון? לפניכם התשובה! - אירוויזיון 2022" [Israel: Who will commentate the Eurovision broadcasts? Here is the answer!]. EuroMix (in Hebrew). Retrieved 19 April 2022.
34. ^ Zaikaner, Avi (2 May 2023). "דורון מדלי יחליף את עקיבא נוביק בגמר אירוויזיון 2023 - אירוויזיון 2023" [Doron Medalie will replace Akiva Novick in the Eurovision 2023 final]. EuroMix (in Hebrew). Retrieved 4 May 2023.
35. ^ Mishali, Gil (25 February 2024). "אסף ליברמן ועקיבא נוביק יפרשנו את האירוויזיון גם השנה" [Asaf Lieberman and Akiva Novick will commentate on Eurovision again this year]. Mako (in Hebrew). Retrieved 28 February 2024.
36. ^ "קול חדש לישראל באירוויזיון: זה האיש שמצטרף לעמדת השידור" [A new voice for Israel at Eurovision: this is the man who joins the broadcasting station]. Ice (in Hebrew). 13 March 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
37. ^ "לוח שידורים כאן 11" [Kan 11 schedule] (in Hebrew). IPBC. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
38. ^ Feder, Hen (7 May 2024). "מאיה אלקולומברה תגיש את הניקוד הישראלי בגמר אירוויזיון 2024 - אירוויזיון 2024" [Maya Alkulumbre will present the Israeli score in the Eurovision 2024 final]. EuroMix (in Hebrew). Retrieved 7 May 2024.
39. ^ a b c d e Arad, Daphna (16 May 2019). "The Quest for the "Unforgettable Dress" Revealed: The Dress Was Forgotten". Ynet (in Hebrew).
40. ^ Shoef, Hadas (6 April 2011). "It's Good, It's Good". Ynet (in Hebrew).
41. ^ Jacob, Itay (11 May 2016). "Sixty Years of Eurovision: Every 'Douze Points' Outfit of Israeli Participants Over The Years". Ynet (in Hebrew).
42. ^ Mugrabi Kobani, Ziva (12 May 2019). "Dresses Inspired by Female Israeli Eurovision Participants Over The Years". Israel Hayom (in Hebrew).
43. ^ Haimovich, Natasha (21 May 2002). "You're Wearing This?". Ynet (in Hebrew).
44. ^ Cohen, Ziv (21 May 2005). "Shiri Maimon to Sing in a Different Dress". Ynet (in Hebrew).
45. ^ Abramovich, Yuval (2 May 2009). "Eurovision Approaches: Mira Awad and Noa 'Shooting in All Directions'". Makor Rishon (in Hebrew).
46. ^ "Diva Dana reveals the Gaultier dress". Eurovision. 7 May 2011.
47. ^ Jacob, Itay (16 May 2013). "Twice As Bad: Moran Mazor Will Sing at Eurovision in Her National Final Dress". Ynet (in Hebrew).
48. ^ Cahill, William (18 April 2014). "Mei Finegold films Same Heart selfie, confirms dress!". Wiwibloggs.
49. ^ "The Secrets of Netta's Kimono are Revealed". Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (in Hebrew). 7 May 2018.
50. ^ "Israel's Eden Alene advances to Eurovision final". The Jerusalem Post. 19 May 2021.
51. ^ Zaikaner, Avi (23 April 2024). "ישראל באירוויזיון 2024: פרטים חדשים על הביצוע של עדן גולן בתחרות - אירוויזיון 2024" [Israel in Eurovision 2024: New details about Eden Golan's performance in the competition]. EuroMix (in Hebrew). Retrieved 25 April 2024.
52. ^ Dahan, Tal (31 March 2025). "מיהו מעצב האופנה המוכר שיעצב את תלבושתה של יובל רפאל לאירוויזיון 2025? - אירוויזיון 2025" [Who is the famous fashion designer who will design Yuval Rafael's outfit for Eurovision 2025?]. EuroMix (in Hebrew). Retrieved 31 March 2025.
53. ^ O'Connor 2010, pp. 52–55.
54. ^ "Eurovision Song Contest: Luxembourg 1973". Eurovision Song Contest. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
55. ^ West 2020, pp. 83–86.
56. ^ Hamerman, Josh (8 May 2007). "Debunking a Eurovision myth". Ynet. Archived from the original on 16 May 2007. Retrieved 24 January 2025.
57. ^ "Eurovision Song Contest: Paris 1978". Eurovision Song Contest. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
58. ^ O'Connor 2010, pp. 72–75.
59. ^ Roxburgh, Gordon (2014). Songs for Europe: The United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest. Vol. Two: The 1970s. Prestatyn: Telos Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84583-093-9.
60. ^ O'Connor 2010, pp. 80–83.
61. ^ "Eurovision Song Contest: The Hague 1980". Eurovision Song Contest. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
62. ^ Farrell, Stephen (10 May 2019). "Israel counters Eurovision boycott campaign with Google ads". Reuters. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
63. ^ Maikey, Haneen; Aked, Hilary (4 March 2019). "L'Eurovision comme occasion de pinkwashing pour Israël – la communauté LGBT+ devrait le boycotter" [Eurovision as a pinkwashing opportunity for Israel – the LGBT+ community should boycott it]. agencemediapalestine.fr/ (in French). Agence Médias Palestine. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
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66. ^ Savage, Mark (8 February 2024). "Israel chooses Eurovision 2024 entrant amid calls for a boycott". BBC News. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
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## Sources

[edit]

* O'Connor, John Kennedy (2010). The Eurovision Song Contest: The Official History (2nd ed.). London: Carlton Books. ISBN 978-1-84732-521-1.
* West, Chris (2020). Eurovision! A History of Modern Europe Through the World's Greatest Song Contest (2nd ed.). London: Melville House UK. ISBN 978-1-911545-55-2.

* v
* t
* e

Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest

* National selections: HaKokhav HaBa
* Israel Song Festival (former)
* Kdam Eurovision (former)
* The X Factor Israel (former)

Participation|

* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1985
* 1986
* 1987
* 1988
* 1989
* 1990
* 1991
* 1992
* 1993
* 1995
* ~~1996~~
* 1998
* 1999
* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* ~~2020~~
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024
* 2025

Artists|

* Eden Alene
* Yardena Arazi
* Shlomo Artzi
* Mira Awad
* ~~Galit Bell~~
* Michael Ben David
* Boaz
* Eddie Butler
* Chocolate, Menta, Mastik
* Izhar Cohen
* Dafna
* Dana International
* Datner
* Duo Datz
* David D'Or
* Eden
* Mei Finegold
* Moti Giladi
* Gili and Galit
* Eden Golan
* Nadav Guedj
* Habibi
* Sarit Hadad
* Ofra Haza
* Ilanit
* Imri
* Izabo
* Noa Kirel
* Kushnir
* Shiri Maimon
* Kobi Marimi
* Moran Mazor
* Milk and Honey
* Lior Narkis
* Liora
* Netta
* Noa
* PingPong
* Poogy
* Yuval Raphael
* Rita
* Lehakat Shiru
* Harel Skaat
* Tal Sondak
* Hovi Star
* Teapacks
* Avi Toledano
* Sarai Tzuriel

Songs|

* "A-Ba-Ni-Bi"
* "Ahava Hi Shir Lishnayim"
* "Amen"
* "At Va'Ani"
* "Ben Adam"
* "Derekh Hamelekh"
* "Ding Dong"
* "Diva"
* "Ein Davar"
* "Emor Shalom"
* "Ey Sham"
* ~~"Feker Libi"~~
* "The Fire in Your Eyes"
* "Golden Boy"
* "Halayla"
* "Hallelujah"
* "Happy Birthday"
* "Hasheket Shenish'ar"
* "Hi"
* "Home"
* "Hora"
* "Hurricane"
* "I Feel Alive"
* "I.M"
* "Kan"
* "Leha'amin"
* "Light a Candle"
* "Made of Stars"
* "Milim"
* "Natati La Khayay"
* "New Day Will Rise"
* "Olé, Olé"
* "Push the Button"
* "Rak Bishvilo"
* "Same Heart"
* "Sameach"
* "Set Me Free"
* ~~" Shalom Olam"~~
* "Shara Barkhovot"
* "Shir Habatlanim"
* "Shiru"
* "There Must Be Another Way"
* "Time"
* "Together We Are One"
* "Toy"
* "Unicorn"
* "Words for Love"
* "Yavo Yom"
* "Ze Rak Sport"

Note: Entries scored out signify where Israel did not compete. Italics indicate an entry in a future contest.

* v
* t
* e

Eurovision Song Contest

* Entries
* 1956–2003
* 2004–present
* History
* Host cities
* Languages
* LGBT visibility
* LGBT participants
* Controversies
* Presenters
* Rules
* Voting
* Winners
* Discography

Contests|

* 1956
* 1957
* 1958
* 1959
* 1960
* 1961
* 1962
* 1963
* 1964
* 1965
* 1966
* 1967
* 1968
* 1969
* 1970
* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979
* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1984
* 1985
* 1986
* 1987
* 1988
* 1989
* 1990
* 1991
* 1992
* 1993
* 1994
* 1995
* 1996
* 1997
* 1998
* 1999
* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* ~~2020~~
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024
* 2025

Countries|

| Active|

* Albania
* Armenia
* Australia
* Austria
* Azerbaijan
* Belgium
* Croatia
* Cyprus
* Czech Republic
* Denmark
* Estonia
* Finland
* France
* Georgia
* Germany
* Greece
* Iceland
* Ireland
* Israel
* Italy
* Latvia
* Lithuania
* Luxembourg
* Malta
* Montenegro
* Netherlands
* Norway
* Poland
* Portugal
* San Marino
* Serbia
* Slovenia
* Spain
* Sweden
* Switzerland
* Ukraine
* United Kingdom

|

Inactive|

* Andorra
* Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Bulgaria
* Hungary
* Moldova
* Monaco
* Morocco
* North Macedonia
* Romania
* Slovakia
* Turkey

Ineligible|

* Belarus
* Russia

Former|

* Serbia and Montenegro
* Yugoslavia

Debut attempts|

* Lebanon
* Tunisia

Relations|

* Armenia–Azerbaijan
* Russia–Ukraine

National
selections|

| Current|

* Albania
* Armenia
* Denmark
* Estonia
* Finland
* Iceland
* Ireland
* Israel
* Italy
* Latvia
* Norway
* Portugal
* Serbia
* Spain
* Sweden
* Ukraine

|

Former|

* Australia
* Georgia
* Geostar
* The Voice Georgia
* Hungary
* Ireland
* Italy
* Israel
* Israel Song Festival
* Kdam Eurovision
* The X Factor Israel
* Malta
* Netherlands
* North Macedonia
* Poland
* Krajowe Eliminacje
* Szansa na Sukces
* Russia
* Serbia and Montenegro
* Serbia
* Slovakia
* Spain
* United Kingdom
* Yugoslavia

Related articles|

| Awards|

* Marcel Bezençon Awards
* Barbara Dex Award (1997–2021)
* You're a Vision Award (2022–)

|

Organisations|

* European Broadcasting Union
* OGAE

Special shows|

| EBU|

* Eurovision Song Contest Previews
* Songs of Europe (1981)
* Kvalifikacija za Millstreet (1993)
* Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest (2005)
* Eurovision Song Contest's Greatest Hits (2015)
* EurovisionAgain (2020–2021)
* Eurovision: Europe Shine a Light (2020)

|

National|

* Die Grand Prix Hitliste (2006)
* Het Grote Songfestivalfeest (2019, 2022–)
* Der kleine Song Contest (2020)
* ESC 2020 – das deutsche Finale (2020)
* Eurovision: Come Together (2020)
* Sveriges 12:a (2020)

* Category

* v
* t
* e

Eurovision Song Contest's Greatest Hits

Represented years

| Chronological order|

* 1968
* 1969
* 1973
* 1976
* 1980
* 1982
* 1984
* 1985
* 1987
* 1992
* 1998
* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2006
* 2008
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014

|

Represented countries

| Alphabetical order|

* Austria
* Denmark
* Finland
* France
* Germany
* Ireland
* Israel
* Luxembourg
* Norway
* Russia
* Spain
* Sweden
* United Kingdom

|

Represented artists

| Alphabetical order|

* Anne-Marie David
* Bobbysocks!
* Brotherhood of Man
* Conchita Wurst
* Dana International
* Dima Bilan
* Emmelie de Forest
* Herreys
* Johnny Logan
* Lordi
* Loreen
* Natasha St-Pier
* Nicole
* Olsen Brothers
* Rosa López

|

Represented songs

| Alphabetical order |

* "Believe / Never Let You Go" (medley)
* "Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley"
* "Diva"
* "Ein bißchen Frieden"
* "Euphoria"
* "Fly on the Wings of Love"
* "Hard Rock Hallelujah"
* "Je n'ai que mon âme"
* "La, la, la / Vivo cantando / Eres tú / Europe's Living a Celebration" (medley)
* "La det swinge"
* "Only Teardrops"
* "Rise Like a Phoenix"
* "Save Your Kisses for Me"
* "Tu te reconnaîtras"
* "What's Another Year / Why Me? / Hold Me Now" (medley)

|

(Note: "Withdrawn" refers to entries that withdrew after applying to enter)

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz series

|

*[Ref.]: Reference
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template