Israel
The basics Full country name State of Israel Capital Jerusalem Facts First participation 1973 (Ilanit) Victories 1978 (Izhar Cohen and the Alphabeta) 1979 (Milk and Honey) 1998 (Dana International) 2018 (Netta) Hosts Jerusalem 1979 Jerusalem 1999 Tel Aviv 2019
Israel made its debut in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1973 and it was the first non-European country that was granted permission to participate in the event. The EBU allowed Israel to participate since the country's broadcaster was already one of its members.
Israel showed strong interest in the competition from the very beginning and it paid off very soon, as they managed to win for the first time, in Paris in 1978, with the song A-Ba-Ni-Bi performed by Izhar Cohen and the Alphabeta. The Eurovision Song Contest travelled to Jerusalem in 1979 where Israel won the competition for the second time in a row. The voting climax that year was unforgettable: Spain was the last country to cast its votes. At that moment Spain itself was in the lead, only 1 point ahead of Israel. The Spanish 10 points then caused Milk and Honey's Hallelujah to win, which gave Israel its second Eurovision victory. After the 1979 Eurovision Song Contest, Hallelujah became another international hit.
Dana International made headlines around the world in 1998 when she became the first transgender singer to win the Eurovision Song Contest. The competition returned to Jerusalem in 1999. Dana International returned to the Eurovision Song Contest in 2011 but failed to qualify for the Grand Final. Israel has qualified for every Grand Final since 2015.
In 2018 Israel won the Eurovision Song Contest for the fourth time, with Netta receiving 529 points for her empowering anthem TOY.
