It’s the Middle Eastern country that has qualified for the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest every year since 2015 by using a renewed national final named The Next Star for Eurovision. 

And today Israel finally confirmed that it will compete at Eurovision 2018 in a news report published by the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.

It’s welcome news. After the Israeli spokesperson’s dramatic farewell in the Grand Final of Eurovision 2017 in May, many thought the game was up. After all, the Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA) had shut down in May.

But Yedioth Ahronoth revealed that the EBU and IPBC (KAN) signed a memorandum of understanding two months ago. It will grant the new Israeli broadcaster temporary membership in the EBU, thus allowing it to take part in Eurovision 2018 as the new broadcaster sorts itself out and gets firmly established.

The formal process of accepting the broadcaster permanently as an EBU member is expected to end in December, as the new broadcaster doesn’t yet have an independent news department. The issue will also be ruled on by the Israeli High Court of Justice in the upcoming months. Sources in the EBU have stated that they will allow the broadcaster to take part at Eurovision 2018 no matter what the court rules in that matter.

The Next Star for Eurovision 2018

Israel will once again choose its Eurovision 2018 contestant through the TV show The Next Star for Eurovision. 

The show will launch by the end of October with a much longer season than we had in 2017. Producers will deliver 20 weekly episodes. There will be no changes regarding the judges, as Harel Skaat, Keren Peles, Assaf Amdursky and the duo Static & Ben El Tavori will all return to the hot seat.


The hosts of the show, Assi Azar and Rotem Sela have already visited and filmed in the MEO Arena in Lisbon, where the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 will take place this May.

When in Portugal go to sleep ?

A post shared by Rotem Sela (@rotemsela1) on

So far the Israeli media have only mentioned one known singer that will audition for the show — Chen Aharoniwho took part in a similar show called Kokhav Nolad (A Star Is Born) during 2007 (he also took part in Kdam Eurovision 2011 and in the UK X Factor in 2013). More details are coming soon…

Are you excited for The Next Star for Eurovision 2018? Let us know in the comments box!

FOLLOW ALL OF OUR ISRAELI EUROVISION NEWS

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You're brothers!
You're brothers!
6 years ago

I love this comments section, such a nice atmosphere. 🙂

Purple Mask
Purple Mask
6 years ago

Blimey. Commenters: What have any of these political issues got to do with a new Israeli broadcaster signing up to the EBU and the Eurovision Song Contest? (I dare you NOT to answer that.) 😀

I have always liked Israel’s music at the ESC, and the new “Star” project seems to have worked quite well over the past few years. Best of luck with the new broadcaster.

willy green
willy green
6 years ago

@ Timo1962FI – Go and wave a rainbow flag in Chechnya so you may see how the reality is in some parts of Russia. And how come many gay persons seek for asylum in our country (Finland) if Russia is that heavenly place for LGBTI -people as you seem to believe? Have you ever thought that those asylum seekers just want to stay in a richer country, so they found a way : pretend you are gay or if you are gay just be provocative and THERE YOU ARE in a richer country on benefits. Refugees are to brainwashed by… Read more »

Timo1962FI
Timo1962FI
6 years ago
Reply to  willy green

You have no idea of the pain and distress the gay people face in their countries, Russia included, so I think you’d better shut up. Never underestimate the anguish of other people. Every refugee has a right to be judged and their situation concidered individually, not by a pattern you cynical people have developed in your brains. Be ashamed. Btw, along the human history minorities have escaped from their native homelands for the persecution they suffer and they have a right to be treated well. But there’ll always be racists like you condemning and questioning. Be grateful your life is… Read more »

willy green
willy green
6 years ago
Reply to  Timo1962FI

Have you saw Philip Kirkorov? He is the biggest star in Russia, so you can tell how homophob Russia is.
Keep your innocence, for Russia is very convenient, good for them.

Polegend Godgarina
Polegend Godgarina
6 years ago

I haven’t liked one single Israeli entry since their 2008 masterpiece, but you know what, the more, the merrier. I hope they send Eden Ben Zaken, I stan her discography.

Gobio
Gobio
6 years ago

Eden is GOLDEN. Unfortunatly, the “Rising Star” method ensures that she won’t be there too soon. Even so, I don’t think she’ll ecer be intersted in eurovision just for how famous she is in Israel and her unwillingness to risk that.

no your not
no your not
6 years ago

LGBTQ is delusional if they think they are really accepted anywhere, only in their bubble.

hush ok?
hush ok?
6 years ago
Reply to  no your not

I hope that posting such pathetic nonsense made you happy at least. 🙂

Polegend Godgarina
Polegend Godgarina
6 years ago
Reply to  no your not

Honey we know there’s still a long way to go but equal rights will come step by step.

Pollaski
Pollaski
6 years ago

Screw them. There’s nothing preventing them from competing except for themselves and their perpetually whiny passive aggressive refusal to recognize one of their neighbors as an actual nation. Israel has no problem with them competing.

Pollaski
Pollaski
6 years ago
Reply to  Pollaski

…this was supposed to be in response to Nick. No idea why its up here, LMAO.

Pollaski
Pollaski
6 years ago

No shock to me. I knew they’d find a way.

pammy
pammy
6 years ago

oh thanks again a time Europe is saved by Izrael

AngieP
AngieP
6 years ago

This is wonderful, amazing, exciting news!!!
So glad Israel is back!

Hada
Hada
6 years ago

I hope Nachson keeps announcing the points

Vasiliki
Vasiliki
6 years ago

I literally screamed with delight when I saw this! I hope Israel returns to singing in Hebrew.

Roy Moreno
Roy Moreno
6 years ago

???? ?? ?????? ???!
Glad we are competing once again and I hope this time we will actually try to win 0.0

Tali
Tali
6 years ago

Nobody is stopping other Middle Eastern or North African countries from joining. If they wanted to do so, they could’ve done that when Israel was absent in 1984, 1996 and 1997. They use the Israeli participation as a pretext, because there is no law in Israel that prohibits the mention or the broadcast of Arab music, movies and TV shows. The fact that Arab countries resort to such extremities by making it the law of the land not to mention Israel or anything related with it is a self-inflicted punishment of their own doing. It’s borderline sick and infantile. At… Read more »

Azaad
Azaad
6 years ago
Reply to  Tali

Tali, the issue isn’t that. It’s that for Lebanon (the Arab country that is most likely to participate) to participate, they’ll have to air the entire contest, but the law wouldn’t allow them to show the Israeli song being performed due to the friction between the two states. That would breach ESC rules so the broadcaster can only air the show as a non participant if they want to block 3 minutes of it.

Jerusalem 2019
Jerusalem 2019
6 years ago

YAAAAAS!!!

Raela
Raela
6 years ago

Great news! Israel is one of my favorite Eurovision countries…
It’ll be another male singer, right? It seems the majority of the Next Star voters are girls, and they vote for the only male in the contest. Fine by me! And Israel had plenty of eye candy male singers over the years (Boaz Ma’uda, Harel Skaat, Nadav Guedj, Hovi Star, IMRI)… Stangely, in the years they’ve picked females Israel was not successful (Moran Mazor, Mei Finegold)…. So, go guys!

Maya G
Maya G
6 years ago
Reply to  Raela

IPBC does have an independent news department, and a very good one. I’m watching their evening news edition right now.
It’s just that Netanyahu, as part of his ongoing crusade against the freedom of press in Israel, passed legislation to shut IPBC’s news department down.
The supreme court issued a temporary injunction, as the new legislation is possibly unconstitutional, So for now IPBC’s news department is still here, but the court will issue a final decision next month.

Maya G
Maya G
6 years ago
Reply to  Maya G

sorry @Raela, I replied to you by mistake.
But while we’re at it, I would actually like to see a female singer representing us next year. Or at least some female presence in the Israeli delegation.

Fatima
Fatima
6 years ago
Reply to  Raela

I wouldn’t say IMRI was eye candy. More of an eye day old danish.

Jo
Jo
6 years ago

oh Harel…Milim is my favourite entry from Israel. Should’ve been Top 10.

Nick
Nick
6 years ago

I kinda wanted Israel to stay out maybe just for a year. Nothing against them, it simply would’ve been nice to maybe see some debuts from other Middle Eastern countries.

Jo
Jo
6 years ago
Reply to  Nick

Eurovision was created to reunite countries. It becomes meaningless if you have to withdraw to someone else participate.

Anabela
Anabela
6 years ago
Reply to  Nick

I don’t really think that the only reason of their non-participation is Israel. Those countries wouldn’t like to have entries like Austria 2014, Finland 2013, Lithuania 2015 etc. on TV. Besides, there’s a lot of LGBT fans watching Eurovision live from arena and in case of one of those countries winning the contest, I’m sure they wouldn’t be so hospitable to accept such visitors. The situation in those countries aren’t like in Azerbaijan or even Turkey, just saying.

Azaad
Azaad
6 years ago
Reply to  Anabela

That’s true for the Gulf, but Lebanon is as conservative or even less so on those issues than Russia and Belarus.

Erasmus
Erasmus
6 years ago
Reply to  Azaad

No way Russia and Belarus are way more better for LGBT people to live in than Lebanon even tho it’s the most progressive Arab country. In Russia I think that people just don’t want gays to marry or adopt children, but they don’t hate them they just want to live a “traditional” live… But in Lebanon people beat gays etc. belive me. But yeah it’s WAAAY better in Lebanon than Saudi Arabia that’s for sure

Timo1962FI
Timo1962FI
6 years ago
Reply to  Erasmus

Go and wave a rainbow flag in Chechnya so you may see how the reality is in some parts of Russia. And how come many gay persons seek for asylum in our country (Finland) if Russia is that heavenly place for LGBTI -people as you seem to believe?

Gobio
Gobio
6 years ago
Reply to  Nick

Maybe, If you want ARABVISION…

Pollaski
Pollaski
6 years ago
Reply to  Nick

Screw them. There’s nothing preventing them from competing except for themselves and their perpetually whiny passive aggressive refusal to recognize one of their neighbors as an actual nation. Israel has no problem with them competing.

Anouska
Anouska
6 years ago

Fantastic news!