Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest

Israel in the
Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
Participating broadcasterIsraeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (IPBC/Kan; 2018–)
Formerly
Participation summary
Appearances47 (40 finals)
First appearance1973
Highest placement1st: 1978, 1979, 1998, 2018
Host1979, 1999, 2019
Related articles
  • Israel Song Festival
  • 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 2025

Israel has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 47 times since its debut in 1973. The Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (IPBC), also known as KAN, is the Israeli broadcaster. Israel had missed only four contests: 1980, 1984, 1994 and 1997.

Israel's four victories was achieved with the following songs:

  • Izhar Cohen and the Alphabeta — A-Ba-Ni-Bi (1978)
  • Milk and Honey — Halleklujah (1979)
  • Dana International — Diva (1998)
  • Netta — Toy (2018)

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[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, Hebrew 1 529 1 283
2019 Kobi Marimi "Home" English 23 35 Host country
2020 Eden Alene "Feker Libi" (ፍቅር ልቤ) English, Hebrew, Arabic, 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, Hebrew 3 362 3 127
2024 Eden Golan "Hurricane" English, Hebrew 5 375 1 194
2025 Yuval Raphael "New Day Will Rise" English, French, Hebrew 2 357 1 203
2026 Confirmed intention to participate [1]

Hostings

Israel has hosted the contest three times two times in Jerusalem (1979, 1999) and one time in Tel Aviv (2019).

Year Location Venue
1979 Jerusalem International Convention Center
1999
2019 Tel Aviv Expo Tel Aviv

Notes

  1. In 1996, a qualifying round was held to reduce participation, except for hosts, and Israel failed, leading to entries being discounted by the EBU.
  2. Eurovision rules allowed the top ten non-Big Four countries and Big Four to automatically qualify for the Grand Final without semi-finals, ensuring all top ten countries advance.
  3. The 2020 contest was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

References

  1. Solo, Guy (2025-06-28). "על רקע הקריאות להדחה: ישראל מעוניינת להשתתף באירוויזיון 2026!" [Amidst calls for dismissal: Israel is interested in participating in Eurovision 2026!]. EuroMix (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2025-06-28.