KAN has confirmed that Israel will compete in the Eurovision Song Contest 2027 in Bulgaria.
The Israeli public broadcaster KAN has confirmed its participation in the 71st ediiton of the Eurovision Song Contest. The confirmation comes as KAN and Keshet 12 agree once again to co-operate on the Israeli national selection, HaKokhav HaBa. The winner of HaKokhav HaBa has represented Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest between 2015 and 2020 and again since 2024.
The broadcaster will once again make an open call for songs to select the Israeli entry for Eurovision. A committee formed of professionals from KAN and Keshet will assess the first round of submissions, selecting 40 songs to progress. From the 40 shortlisted songs, the winning song will be selected.
Noam Bettan represented Israel at Eurovision 2026 with “Michelle”, placing 2nd with 343 points. This included 12 points from the Polish jury and the televote in Azerbaijan, Finland, France, Germany, Portugal and Switzerland.
Since the beginning of the Gaza War in 2023, Israel’s participation in Eurovision has come under heavy criticism. Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain all boycotted the 2026 contest over Israel’s inclusion, marking the largest boycott in the contest’s history since 1970.
Source: KAN
Israel debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1973. The country was represented by Ilanit, who finished in 4th place with the song “Ey Sham”. Their first victory came in 1978 with Izhar Cohen and the Alphabeta. Israel won the following year again with Gali Atari & Milk and Honey. Israel’s third victory came in 1998 when Dana International performed “Diva” in Birmingham, beating Malta to victory in a tense voting sequence. Israel struggled in the contest during the early-2010s, failing to qualify for the final from 2011 to 2014. However, since 2015, Israel has seen its fortunes turned around, qualifying every year except 2022. In 2018, Netta won the Eurovision Song Contest with the song “Toy”.
