Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest

Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest
Israel
Participating broadcasterIsraeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (IPBC/Kan; 2018–)
Former members
Participation summary
Appearances45 (38 finals)
First appearance1973
Highest placement1st: 1978, 1979, 1998, 2018
Host1979, 1999, 2019
Related articles
External links
Israel's page at Eurovision.tv Edit this at Wikidata
For the most recent participation see
Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023

Israel has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 45 times since making its debut in 1973. Israel was able to enter the contest as the Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA) was an active member of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which was responsible for the event. The IBA was succeeded as the broadcaster in charge of the Israeli entry by the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (IPBC/Kan) in 2018. 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 Ilanit finishing fourth. Israel then achieved victories in 1978 and 1979, with wins for Izhar Cohen and the Alphabeta with the song "A-Ba-Ni-Bi", and Milk and Honey with "Hallelujah". In 1980, the IBA declined to host the contest for the 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 time that the winning country did not compete the following year. The country's best results in the 1980s were second-place finishes for Avi Toledano in 1982 and Ofra Haza in 1983. Former winner Izhar Cohen returned to place fifth in 1985, before Duo Datz finished third in 1991. Israel achieved its third victory in 1998, with Dana International and "Diva". 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, 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 with Nadav Guedj ultimately finishing ninth in 2015, and the country has participated in the final every year since, with the exception of 2022. Israel's fourth victory came in 2018, courtesy of Netta with "Toy".

History

To date there have been four Israeli victories in the contest. Izhar Cohen and 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 (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 Israel Broadcasting Authority (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 Eurovision Song 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. 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.

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. Noa Kirel with "Unicorn" finished in third place in 2023, the country's best result since its 2018 win.

Participation overview

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 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
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 X
2021 Eden Alene "Set Me Free" English 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 Confirmed intention to participate

Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest

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

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

Marcel Bezençon Awards

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 Norway Oslo
Artistic Award
Composer Award

Winner by OGAE members

Year Song Performer Final result Points Host city Ref.
2018 "Toy" Netta 1 529 Portugal Lisbon

Related involvement

Conductors

Year Conductor Musical Director Notes Ref.
1973 Nurit Hirsh N/A
1974 Yoni Rechter
1975 Eldad Shrim
1976 Matti Caspi
1977 Eldad Shrim
1978 Nurit Hirsh Izhak Graziani
1979 Kobi Oshrat
1981 Eldad Shrim N/A
1982 Nansi Silviu Brandes
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

Year Head of delegation Ref.
20022006 Izchak Sonnenschein
20072016 Yoav Ginai
2018 Tal Barnea
20192020 Tali Katz
2021 Yuval Fischer

Commentators and spokespersons

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. Beginning in 2013 and lasting until 2017, it also aired the contest with Arabic subtitles on Channel 33. 1980 was the only year that was not broadcast either on television or radio due to Yom HaZikaron; 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, and in 2018, when its 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 between 2003 and 2004.

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
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979 Yoram Arbel Yitzhak Shim'oni Dan Kaner
1980 No broadcast Did not participate
1981 No commentator 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
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
2000 No radio broadcast
2001 Daniel Pe'er
2002 Michal Zoharetz
2003
2004 No radio broadcast Merav Miller
2005 Dana Herman
2006
2007 Jason Danino-Holt
2008 Noa Barak-Weshler
2009 Ofer Nachshon
2010
2011
2012
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)
2014 Kobi Menora, Yuval Caspin (all shows)
2015 Kobi Menora (all shows); Yuval Caspin (semi-final 1); Tal Argaman (semi-final 2)
2016 Kobi Menora, Or Vaxman, Nansi Brandes (semi-final 2 and final)
2017 Kobi Menora, Dori Ben Ze'ev, Alon Amir (all shows)
2018 Asaf Liberman, Shir Reuven (semi-final 1)
Itai Herman, Goel Pinto (semi-final 2)
Erez Tal, Idit Hershkowitz (final)
Lucy Ayoub
2019 Sharon Taicher, Eran Zarachowicz Izhar Cohen
2020 Geula Even-Sa'ar, Asaf Liberman Not announced before cancellation
2021 Asaf Liberman, Akiva Novick Lucy Ayoub
2022 Daniel Styopin
2023 Asaf Liberman, Akiva Novick (all shows); Doron Medalie (final) Asaf Liberman, Akiva Novick (semi-finals); Kobi Menora, Sharon Kantor (final) Ilanit

Costume designers

Year Costume designers Ref.
1973 Rozi Ben-Yosef
1976 Gideon Oberson
1978 Dorin Frankfurt
1979
1982
1983
1985 Nissim Mizrachi
1988 Perach Reuven
1990 Gideon Oberson
1991 Yaron Minkowsky
1995
1998 Galit Levi
2002 Pnina Tournet
2005 Riva Oshida
2009
2011 Jean Paul Gaultier
2013 Efrat Kalig
2014 Dana Barak
2017 David Sassoon
2018 Maor Zabar
2021 Alon Livne

Photo gallery

Arab reaction

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. Afterwards, the Jordanian news media refused to acknowledge the fact that Israel had won, and announced that the winner was Belgium (which had actually come in second). 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 neighbouring 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. Tunisia, Morocco, and Lebanon are cases in point.[better source needed] Tunisia intended to participate in 1977, but decided 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 EBU's rules.

See also


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