Israel: KAN confirms Eurovision 2022 participation and selection process via an external body

Israel: KAN confirms Eurovision 2022 participation and selection process via an external body
Monday, 22 February 2021

  • The Israeli national broadcaster, KAN, confirmed the country's Eurovision 2022 participation and has decided to select the 2022 representative through an external body. 

    Israel is the first national to confirm its participation in Eurovision 2022. Even though the Eurovision 2021 is still ahead of us, KAN, confirmed last evening that it will be taking part in next year's competition too. 

    KAN also shared its decision to adopt a selection assingned to an external body that will select through a competitive procedure - similar to the 2015-2020 representative selection process, during which the representative was selected by Keshet with the "Next Eurovision Star" program. This is an initial decision and it is not clear at this stage when KAN will making the call   to various bodies to submit proposals for the selection process of the Israeli singer for Eurovision 2022. 

    IBA began collaborating with Keshet in 2015, when Nadav Gueji was chosen to compete in the Eurovision Song Contest as part of the "Next Star" program. The collaboration also continued with the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation after the closure of the the Broadcasting Cooperation. In December 2019, the corporation decided to end its collaboration with Keshet and hold a pre-Eurovision show on Channel 11  The cancellation of the Eurovision Song Contest in 2020 led to the continuation of the collaboration with the singer Eden Alene , who won "The next star for the Eurovision 2020".

    Now, the corporation announces that next year it will not implement its decision to hold a national pre-Eurovision show  and will turn to various bodies that will produce the Israeli singer's selection process for the competition. The decision was made in light of new financial data submitted to the corporation council, regarding the costs involved in producing and prioritizing the investment of existing resources in Israeli art, and in drama.

    Withing this framework "The Next Star" or "The X-factor" talent shows seem as potential formats to be used as the next Israeli national selection for Eurovision 2022.

    Thus Israel is the first nation to confirm its Eurovision 2022 participation with preparation already underway for the contest's national selection process. 

     

    Israel in Eurovision 

    Israel has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 42 times since making its debut in 1973. Israel’s first appearance at the contest in 1973 was successful, with Ilanit finishing fourth. Israel has achieved 4  victories, in 1978 and 1979, with first two wins for Izhar Cohen and the Alphabeta, with the song “A-Ba-Ni-Bi” and Gali Atari and Milk and Honey, with “Hallelujah” .

    Its third victory came in 1998, with Dana International and “Diva”  and its fourth in ESC 2018 with Netta’s song Toy. The country’s best results apart from  its victories  were the second-place finishes for Avi Toledano in 1982 and Ofra Haza in 1983. Former winner Izhar Cohen returned to place fifth in 1985. Duo Datz finished third in 1991, before Israel achieved . Eden then finished fifth in 1999. Israel has hosted the contest three times, in 1979 and 1999, both in Jerusalem and in 2019 in Tel Aviv. 

    After the introduction of the semi-finals in 2004, Israel has failed to reach the final six times. In 2014, the country failed to qualify for the fourth consecutive year, when Mei Feingold finished 14th (out of 15) in the second semi final, despite being one of the favorites to qualify. In 2015, Israel reached the final for the first time in five years, with Nadav Guedj finishing ninth. The only Israeli entrant to achieve a better result in the 21st century before their 2018 win was Shiri Maimon in 2005, who gave the country its tenth top five result in the contest, finishing fourth. In 2019 Kobi Marimi winner of the Rising Star, rerpesented Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest on home soil  with his entry Home.

    Last year Eden Alene  won the talent show “The next Star” and the ticket to Rotterdam where she was going to perform the nationally selected song Feker Libi. Due to the covid-19 pandemic the contest was cancelled interrupting Eden's Eurovision journey. However Eden must find a new song for next year’s competition after EBU’s decision to not allow to the Eurovision 2020 entries to compete in the 2021 edition of the contest .

    However Eden Alene will have the chance to complete this year her Eurovision journey and will be performing "Set Me Free" in Rotterdam next May. 

     News Source: Euromix/ Eurovoix

    image: touristisreal.com