Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018#HaKokhav HaBa L'Eurovizion

{{main|Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest}}

Prior to the 2018 contest, the Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA) until 2017, and the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (IPBC/Kan) in 2018, had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest representing Israel forty times since IBA's first entry in 1973.{{cite web|url=http://www.eurovision.tv/page/history/by-country/country?country=18|title=Israel Country Profile|publisher=EBU|access-date=17 February 2015}} They have won the contest on three occasions: in {{esccnty|Israel|y=1978|t=1978}} with the song "{{lang|he-latn|A-Ba-Ni-Bi|i=no}}" performed by Izhar Cohen and the Alphabeta, in {{esccnty|Israel|y=1979|t=1979}} with the song "Hallelujah" performed by Milk and Honey, and in {{esccnty|Israel|y=1998|t=1998}} with the song "{{lang|he-latn|Diva|i=no}}" performed by Dana International. Since the introduction of semi-finals to the format of the Eurovision Song Contest in 2004, Israel has, to this point, managed to qualify to the final seven times, including three top ten results in {{esccnty|Israel|y=2005|t=2005}} with "{{lang|he-latn|Hasheket Shenish'ar|i=no}}" performed by Shiri Maimon placing fourth, in {{esccnty|Israel|y=2008|t=2008}} with "The Fire in Your Eyes" by Boaz placing ninth, and in {{esccnty|Israel|y=2015|t=2015}} with "Golden Boy" by Nadav Guedj placing ninth. Israel had failed to qualify to the final for four consecutive years between 2011 and 2014 prior to their qualification in 2015. In {{esccnty|Israel|y=2017|t=2017}}, "I Feel Alive" by Imri Ziv ended 23rd out of 26 entries in the final.

The Israeli entry for the 2018 contest was selected through the reality singing competition {{lang|he-latn|HaKokhav HaBa L'Eurovizion}} ("The Next Star for Eurovision"), which was organised by Keshet and Tedy Productions. This was the fourth time that the Israeli entry was selected by IPBC/Kan through a collaboration with Keshet and Tedy Productions.

{{Main|HaKokhav HaBa}}

The singer who performed the Israeli entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 was selected through the reality singing competition {{lang|he-latn|HaKokhav HaBa L'Eurovizion}} ("The Next Star for Eurovision"), the original version of the international format Rising Star, produced by Tedy Productions and Keshet Media Group. {{lang|he-latn|HaKokhav HaBa}} has been used since 2015 to select the Israeli artist for Eurovision. The shows was hosted by Assi Azar and Rotem Sela and featured a judging panel composed of Asaf Amdursky, Keren Peles, Harel Skaat (who represented {{esccnty|Israel|y=2010|t=Israel in 2010}}), and Static & Ben-El Tavori.

The competition consisted of twenty shows, which commenced on 29 October 2017 and concluded on 13 February 2018. All shows in the competition were broadcast on Channel 2 and Keshet 12 as well as online via mako.co.il.

Out of the selected 120 contestants ninety-nine were shown in the televised auditions where performers were required to achieve 70% of the votes during their performance in order to advance; each member of the judging panel could boost a performer's score by 10%. Following a change in the rules of the competition, the hosts of the shows could also save performers who did not manage to achieve 70% of the votes during the audition phase, thus the selected performers would also advance, regardless to their scores during the auditions. In the end, seventy contestants advanced to the next round instead of the original seventy-one, following one contestant's withdrawal from the competition.

In the shortlisting round the remaining seventy contestants were required to perform in front of the jury. The jury then selected twenty performers who qualified for the next stage of the competition.

The twenty performers were reduced to twelve in heat 1 and 2, and then from twelve to ten in heat 3 and 4.

The first audition was broadcast in two parts on 29 and 31 October 2017. Seven of the nine contestants advanced to the next phase following achieving at least 70% of the votes while one contestant who did not get enough votes to qualify was saved by the hosts.

Among the contestants was Chen Aharoni, who previously participated in the {{esccnty|Israel|y=2011|t=2011 national final}} where he placed fourth with the song "Or".{{cite web |url=http://wiwibloggs.com/2017/10/30/israel-next-star-eurovision-2018-kicks-off-first-round-auditions/199005/ |title=Israel: "The Next Star for Eurovision 2018" kicks off with first round of auditions |date=2017-10-30 |access-date=2017-10-30 |publisher=Wiwibloggs|first=Ron|last=Kavaler}}{{cite web |url=http://wiwibloggs.com/2017/11/01/chen-aharoni-among-qualifiers-episode-2-israels-next-star-eurovision-2018/199307/ |title=Chen Aharoni among qualifiers on Episode 2 of Israel's "The Next Star for Eurovision 2018"|date=2017-11-01 |access-date=2017-11-01 |publisher=Wiwibloggs |first=Ron|last=Kavaler}}

The second audition was broadcast on 5 November 2017. Six of the eight contestants advanced to the next phase following achieving at least 70% of the votes.

Among the contestants was Rinat Bar who previously participated in the {{esccnty|Israel|y=2005|t=2005 national final}} where she placed seventh with the song "Kmo chalom".{{cite web |url=http://wiwibloggs.com/2017/11/06/rinat-bar-qualifiers-next-star-eurovision-2018/199600/ |title=Rinat Bar among qualifiers on Episode 3 of Israel's 'The Next Star for Eurovision 2018' |date=2017-11-06 |access-date=2017-11-06 |publisher=Wiwibloggs |first=Ron|last=Kavaler}}

The third audition was broadcast on 12 November 2017. Five of the eight contestants advanced to the next phase following achieving at least 70% of the votes while one contestant who did not get enough votes to qualify was saved by the hosts.

Among the contestants was Alon Sharr, the lead singer of the band The Choice who previously took part in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 as a backing vocalist behind Imri. Noa Bell is the adopted daughter of Keren Peles, therefore Peles was not able to vote during her audition. Her vote was cast by Ben-El Tavori.{{cite web |url=http://wiwibloggs.com/2017/11/13/next-star-eurovision-2018-yafit-casay-ravit-batashvili-among-latest-qualifiers/200206/ |title=The Next Star for Eurovision 2018: Yafit Casay and Ravit Batashvili among the latest qualifiers|date=2017-11-13 |access-date=2017-11-13 |publisher=Wiwibloggs |first=Ron|last=Kavaler}}

The fourth audition was broadcast in two parts on 19 and 20 November 2017. Eight of the eleven contestants advanced to the next phase following achieving at least 70% of the votes while one contestant who did not get enough votes to qualify was saved by the hosts. However, on 26 November 2017 it was confirmed that Liat Banai, who has originally qualified to the next phase, has withdrawn from the competition.

Dori Halevi is a close friend of Ben-El Tavori, therefore Tavori was not able to vote during his audition.{{cite web |url=http://wiwibloggs.com/2017/11/21/israel-next-star-2018-eden-israeli-qualifiers/200782/ |title=The Next Star for Eurovision 2018: Eden Newman Hayat and Tal Mizrahi among the latest Israeli qualifiers |date=2017-11-21 |access-date=2017-11-21 |publisher=Wiwibloggs |first=Ron|last=Kavaler}}

The fifth audition was broadcast in two parts on 26 and 27 November 2017. Eight of the eleven contestants advanced to the next phase following achieving at least 70% of the votes while one contestant who did not get enough votes to qualify was saved by the hosts.

Among the contestants was Keshet Ben Ze'ev, the nephew of Izhar Cohen who (together with Alphabeta) won Eurovision for Israel in 1978 and finished fifth {{esccnty|Israel|y=1985|t=in 1985}}.{{cite web |url=http://wiwibloggs.com/2017/11/28/next-star-izhar-cohen-nephew/201554/ |title=The Next Star for Eurovision 2018: Izhar Cohen's nephew among this week's Israeli qualifiers|date=2017-11-28 |access-date=2017-11-28 |publisher=Wiwibloggs |first=Ron|last=Kavaler}}

The sixth audition was broadcast in two parts on 3 and 4 December 2017. Six of the eleven contestants advanced to the next phase following achieving at least 70% of the votes while one contestant who did not get enough votes to qualify was saved by jury members Static and Ben-El Tavori instead of the hosts following a temporary switch in the roles during the contestants' audition.

Among the contestants was Joseph Guedj, a relative of Nadav Guedj who represented Israel in 2015.{{cite web |url=http://wiwibloggs.com/2017/12/05/next-star-eurovision-2018-episode-9-10-qualifiers/202591/ |title=The Next Star for Eurovision 2018: May Tor, Tzahi Musa and Oded Sabag among this week's Israeli qualifiers|date=2017-12-05 |access-date=2017-12-05 |publisher=Wiwibloggs |first=Ron|last=Kavaler}}

The seventh audition was broadcast in two parts on 10 and 11 December 2017. Six of the eleven contestants advanced to the next phase following achieving at least 70% of the votes while one contestant who did not get enough votes to qualify was saved by the hosts.

Among the contestants was Almog Kapach who previously took part in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 and 2017 as a backing vocalist behind Hovi Star and IMRI and also participated in the previous edition of the competition as a member of the band Beatbox Element, finishing fourth.{{cite web |url=http://wiwibloggs.com/2017/12/12/next-star-eurovision-2018-axum-almog-kapach-among-weeks-israeli-qualifiers/203049/ |title=The Next Star for Eurovision 2018: Axum and Almog Kapach among this week's Israeli qualifiers |date=2017-12-12 |access-date=2017-12-12 |publisher=Wiwibloggs |first=Ron|last=Kavaler}}

The eighth audition was broadcast in two parts on 17 and 18 December 2017. Seven of the thirteen contestants advanced to the next phase following achieving at least 70% of the votes while two contestants who did not get enough votes to qualify were saved by the hosts.

Zohar Raziel would have originally got eliminated, however the judges exceptionally gave her a second chance to perform another song where she eventually advanced to the next stage of the competition.

Among the contestants was Mishéll who previously participated as Irina Rosenfeld in the {{esccnty|Ukraine|y=2006|t=2006 Ukrainian national final}} where she placed second with the song "You Give Me Your Love".{{cite web |url=https://eurovoix.com/2017/12/18/israel-next-star-2018-show-thirteen-results/ |title=Israel: The Next Star 2018 Show Thirteen Results |date=2017-12-18 |access-date=2017-12-18 |publisher=Eurovoix|first=Emily|last=Herbert}}{{cite web |url=https://eurovoix.com/2017/12/19/israel-next-star-2018-show-fourteen-results/ |title=Israel: The Next Star 2018 Show Fourteen Results |date=2017-12-19 |access-date=2017-12-19 |publisher=Eurovoix|first=Emily|last=Herbert}}

The ninth audition was broadcast on 21 December 2017. Four of the eight contestants advanced to the next phase following achieving at least 70% of the votes while one contestant who did not get enough votes to qualify was saved by the hosts.{{cite web |url=http://esctoday.com/154925/israel-results-evenings-next-star/ |title=Israel: Results from this evening's The Next Star |date=2017-12-21 |access-date=2017-12-21 |publisher=ESCToday|first=Jessica|last=Weaver}}{{cite web |url=http://wiwibloggs.com/2017/12/22/next-star-eurovision-2018-ukraines-2006-runner-among-weeks-israeli-qualifiers/203897/ |title=The Next Star for Eurovision 2018: Ukraine's 2006 runner-up among this week's Israeli qualifiers|date=2017-12-22 |access-date=2017-12-22 |publisher=Wiwibloggs |first=Ron|last=Kavaler}}

The tenth audition was broadcast in two parts on 24 and 25 December 2017. Three of the nine contestants advanced to the next phase following achieving at least 70% of the votes while two contestants who did not get enough votes to qualify were saved by the hosts.{{cite web |url=http://wiwibloggs.com/2017/12/26/israel-next-star-eurovision-2018-presents-last-qualifiers-auditions-round-ends/205383/ |title=Israel: The Next Star for Eurovision 2018 presents the last qualifiers as auditions round ends|date=2017-12-26 |access-date=2017-12-26 |publisher=Wiwibloggs |first=Ron|last=Kavaler}}

The shortlisting round was broadcast in two parts on 28 and 31 December 2017. The remaining seventy contestants performed in front of the jury. Following the performances, the four-member jury selected twenty contestants to go through to the heats.{{cite web |url=http://esctoday.com/155287/israel-twenty-artists-advance-next-star/ |title=Israel: Twenty artists advance in The Next Star |date=2018-01-01 |access-date=2018-01-01 |publisher=ESCToday|first=Jessica|last=Weaver}}

The first heat was broadcast on 4 January 2018. Eight of the twenty qualified contestants were paired in four duels. From each duel, the performer with the higher score advanced to the next round while one contestant was saved by the jury at the end of the second part of the second heat.

For the first time in the history of the competition, a guest judge also voted for the performances: Ninet Tayeb, singer-songwriter, composer, DJ, model and actress. Therefore, each judge could boost each performance by 8% instead of the original 10.{{cite web |url=https://eurovoix.com/2018/01/05/israel-four-artists-qualify-next-star-2018/ |title=Israel: Four Artists Qualify for Next Round of The Next Star 2018 |date=2018-01-05 |access-date=2018-01-05 |publisher=Eurovoix|first=Emily|last=Herbert}}

The second heat was broadcast in two parts on 7 and 8 January 2018. The remaining twelve of the twenty contestants were paired in six duels. From each duel, the performer with the higher score advanced to the next round while one contestant was saved by the jury at the end of the second part of the second heat.{{cite web |url=http://www.escdaily.com/israeli-show-delivers-first-four-qualifiers/ |title=Twelve artists remain in Israeli talent show HaKokhav HaBa |date=2018-01-08 |access-date=2018-01-08 |publisher=ESC Daily |first=Ani |last=Shahoyan |archive-date=10 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210002143/https://www.escdaily.com/israeli-show-delivers-first-four-qualifiers/ |url-status=dead }}

The third heat was broadcast on 14 January 2018 and consisted of two rounds: in the first round six of the remaining twelve contestants were paired in three duels. From each duel, the performer with the higher score advanced to the next stage of the competition. In the second round the remaining three contestants would have had to perform one more song and the contestant with the lowest score would have got eliminated. However, following her performance Rinat Bar announced her withdrawal from the competition. Therefore, the remaining two contestants – Shay and Gilad and Riki Ben Ari – automatically qualified for the next stage without Riki Ben Ari performing.{{cite web |url=http://wiwibloggs.com/2018/01/15/israel-rinat-bar-withraws-next-star-eurovision-2018-following-lack-success/207876/ |title=Israel: Rinat Bar withdraws from The Next Star for Eurovision saying "it is too much for me"|date=2018-01-15 |access-date=2018-01-15 |publisher=Wiwibloggs |first=Ron|last=Kavaler}}

The fourth heat was broadcast on 21 January 2018 and consisted of two rounds: in the first round six of the remaining twelve contestants were paired in three duels. From each duel, the performer with the higher score advanced to the next stage of the competition. In the second round the remaining three contestants had to perform one more song and the contestant with the lowest score got eliminated.

For personal reasons one of the judges, Asaf Amdursky did not attend the fourth heat. To complement the jury panel, Nadav Guedj, the winner of the second season and who represented Israel in 2015, was invited to vote.{{cite web |url=http://esctoday.com/156777/israel-five-qualifiers-next-star-decided/ |title=Israel: Five more qualifiers in The Next Star have been decided |date=2018-01-21 |access-date=2018-01-21 |publisher=ESCToday|first=Eleanor|last=Cooper}}

The fifth heat was broadcast on 22 January 2018 and consisted of two rounds. In the first round the remaining ten contestants were paired in four thematical duels: in the first duel two duets were formed from four contestants. In the second duel the two contestants performed songs of their idols. In the third duel the contestants who have sung ballads before performed uptempo songs for the first time and in the fourth duel the two contestants performed in front of their relatives. From each duel the contestant or contestants with the higher score advanced to the next stage of the competition. In the end of the first round three contestants were saved by the judges and the remaining two contestants had to perform one more song in the second round. In the end the contestant with the lowest score got eliminated.{{cite web |url=http://esctoday.com/157346/israel-nine-acts-continue-journey-next-star/ |title=Israel: Nine acts continue their journey in The Next Star |date=2018-01-23 |access-date=2018-01-23 |publisher=ESCToday|first=Jessica|last=Weaver}}

The sixth heat was broadcast in two parts on 28 and 29 January 2018. All the contestants performed behind the wall except for the first contestant Adva Omer who performed in front of the judges and the audience. In the end the contestant with the lowest score got eliminated.{{cite web |last=Kavaler |first=Ron |date=2018-01-29 |title=Israel: 8 artists make The Next Star for Eurovision 2018 quarterfinal…as Jose Steinberg is axed |url=http://wiwibloggs.com/2018/01/29/israel-8-artists-make-next-star-eurovision-2018-quarterfinal-jose-steinberg-axed/209111/ |access-date=2018-01-29 |publisher=Wiwibloggs}}

The quarter-final was broadcast in two parts on 4 and 7 February 2018 and consisted of two rounds: in the first round the remaining eight contestants were paired in four duels. From each duel, the performer with the higher score advanced to the next stage of the competition. In the second round the remaining four contestants were paired in two duels and had to perform one more song. The two contestants with the lower scores from each duel got eliminated.

In the end of the first round the judges selected two contestants from the four first round qualifiers – Netta Barzilai and Riki Ben Ari – who got paired in a duel that determined the first finalist in the first part of the semi-final.

In addition to the performances the winner of the previous season and representative of Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017, IMRI performed the 2017 Israeli entry "I Feel Alive".{{cite web |url=https://www.escdaily.com/six-acts-left-israel-final-13th-february/ |title=Six acts left in Israel, final on 13th of February |date=2018-02-08 |access-date=2018-02-08 |publisher=ESC Daily |first=Dennis|last=van Eersel}}

The semi-final was broadcast in two sefond parts on 8 and 11 February 2018.

In the first part on 8 February the two contestants who were selected by the judges in the quarter-final – Netta Barzilai and Riki Ben Ari – were paired in a duel that determined the first finalist. In addition to their performances Barzilai and Ben Ari performed "Na'im achshav" by and together with Elai Botner and The Outside Kids before the duel.

The second part of the semi-final was broadcast on 11 February and consisted of two rounds: in the first round all the remaining five contestants performed behind the wall except for the first contestant Chen Aharoni who performed in front of the judges and the audience. In the end of the first round the contestant with the highest score qualified for the final.

In the second round the remaining four contestants were paired in two duels and had to perform one more song. The two contestants with the higher scores from each duel qualified for the final.{{cite web |url=https://eurovoix.com/2018/02/11/israel-four-finalists-selected-hakokhav-haba-2018/ |title=Israel: Four Finalists Selected for HaKokhav HaBa 2018 |date=2018-02-11 |access-date=2018-02-11 |publisher=Eurovoix|first=Neil|last=Farren}}

The final took place on 13 February 2018 and consisted of two rounds.{{cite web |url=http://wiwibloggs.com/2018/02/13/israel-netta-barzilai-wins-next-star-eurovision-2018/216275/ |title=Israel: Netta Barzilai wins "The Next Star for Eurovision 2018"|date=2018-02-13 |access-date=2018-02-13 |publisher=Wiwibloggs |first=Ron|last=Kavaler}}

In the first round the four finalists were paired in two duels. From each duel the contestant with the higher score advanced to the second round. After the last performance each jury member (with the exception of Harel Skaat) named one of the remaining two contestants. The contestant with the most votes advanced to the second round.

In addition to the performances the four finalists performed a medley of the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 winning song "Euphoria" by Loreen and "Can't Hold Us" by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton.

The votes of the judges to save:

• Asaf Amdursky – Netta Barzilai
• Keren Peles – Netta Barzilai
• Harel Skaat – did not vote
• Static – Netta Barzilai
• Ben El Tavori – Chen Aharoni

Harel Skaat did not have to vote since it was already decided that Netta Barzilai would be saved from elimination.

In the second round, the remaining three contestants performed in front of the judges and the audience. During each performance the votes were cast only by the viewers through the official mobile application, without the scores appearing on screen. After the last performance each judge cast its votes by giving 8, 10 and 12 points to the three remaining contestants; 8 points to their third favourite and 12 points to their favourite. Additionally, four thematical jury groups were asked to vote by the same method. The members of the four jury groups were:

• Group 1: Judges of Kokhav Nolad – Gal Uchovsky, Margalit Tzan'ani, Tzedi Tzarfati
• Group 2: Winners of HaKokhav HaBa L'Eurovizion that represented Israel in Eurovision in the past three years – Nadav Guedj, Hovi Star, Imri Ziv
• Group 3: Judges of Eyal Golan Is Calling You – Adi Leon, Yaron Ilan, Yossi Gispan
• Group 4: Composers of former Israeli Eurovision Song Contest entries – Doron Medalie, Kobi Oshrat, Svika Pick

In addition to the performances, the second round included guest performances of "Namaste" by the judges Static & Ben El Tavori, and "Ulay nedaber" by the 2015 Israeli representative Nadav Guedj.

According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big Five" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progress to the final. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) split up the competing countries into six different pots based on voting patterns from previous contests, with countries with favourable voting histories put into the same pot. On 29 January 2018, a special allocation draw was held which placed each country into one of the two semi-finals, as well as which half of the show they would perform in. Israel was placed into the first semi-final, to be held on 8 May 2018, and was scheduled to perform in the first half of the show.{{cite web|last1=Jordan|first1=Paul|title=Which countries will perform in which Semi-Final at Eurovision 2018?|url=https://eurovision.tv/story/results-of-the-semi-final-allocation-draw-2018|website=eurovision.tv|publisher=European Broadcasting Union|access-date=29 January 2018|date=29 January 2018}}

Once all the competing songs for the 2018 contest had been released, the running order for the semi-finals was decided by the shows' producers rather than through another draw, so that similar songs were not placed next to each other. Israel was set to perform in position 7, following the entry from {{esccnty|Lithuania|y=2018}} and preceding the entry from {{esccnty|Belarus|y=2018}}.{{cite web|title=Running order for Eurovision 2018 Semi-Finals revealed|url=https://eurovision.tv/story/running-order-eurovision-2018-semi-finals-revealed|website=eurovision.tv|publisher=European Broadcasting Union|access-date=3 April 2018|date=3 April 2018|df=dmy-all}}

Israel was an early favorite with the bookies, sitting in second place to win on the day of the first semi-final. Israel performed seventh in the first semi-final, following the entry from Lithuania and preceding the entry from Belarus. At the end of the night, Israel was one of the ten countries announced as qualifying for the grand final, their fourth qualification in a row since 2015. Following the semi-final, Netta joined the other new finalists in a press conference and a draw to see which half of the final she would perform in. Ultimately, Israel was drawn to perform in the second half of the final. It was later revealed that Israel won the first semi-final, scoring 283 points, 116 points from the televoting and 167 points from the juries.{{cite web |title=First Semi-Final of Lisbon 2018 |url=https://eurovision.tv/event/lisbon-2018/first-semi-final |publisher=European Broadcasting Union |access-date=8 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210508165744/https://eurovision.tv/event/lisbon-2018/first-semi-final |archive-date=8 May 2021 |url-status=live}}

Israel performed twenty-second in the grand final, following Hungary and preceding the Netherlands. Following the jury vote, Israel was in third place behind Sweden in second and Austria first. However, neither Sweden nor Austria made it to the viewers' top ten, allowing Israel to both win the televote and the contest overall with a total of 529 points (Israel's highest-ever score).{{cite web |title=Grand Final of Lisbon 2018 |url=https://eurovision.tv/event/lisbon-2018/grand-final |publisher=European Broadcasting Union |access-date=8 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210508165804/https://eurovision.tv/event/lisbon-2018/grand-final |archive-date=8 May 2021 |url-status=live}} This marked Israel's fourth victory (after 1978, 1979, and 1998), tying them with the Netherlands as the 4th-most successful country in contest history (following France, Luxembourg, and the United Kingdom, with five wins; Sweden, with six wins; and Ireland, with seven wins). It was the twentieth time Israel finished in the top ten (the last occasion being Nadav Guedj and "Golden Boy," which finished 9th in 2015) and the eleventh they made the top five (the first time since 2005, when Shiri Maimon came 4th with "HaSheket SheNish'ar"). This meant Israel would host the 2019 contest and automatically qualify for the following year's final. Among these points were five top marks from the jury vote (awarded by Austria, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, and San Marino) and eight top marks from the televote (awarded by Australia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Spain, Ukraine, and once again France and San Marino). Estonia was the only country that did not award any points to Israel in either jury vote or televote.

Under the hybrid jury-televote system, Israel would have received twelve points from Australia, Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Iceland, Moldova, San Marino, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.

Voting during the three shows involved each country awarding two sets of points from 1–8, 10 and 12: one from their professional jury and the other from televoting. Each nation's jury consisted of five music industry professionals who are citizens of the country they represent, with their names published before the contest to ensure transparency. This jury judged each entry based on: vocal capacity; the stage performance; the song's composition and originality; and the overall impression by the act. In addition, no member of a national jury was permitted to be related in any way to any of the competing acts in such a way that they cannot vote impartially and independently. The individual rankings of each jury member as well as the nation's televoting results were released shortly after the grand final.

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The following members comprised the Israeli jury:

{{cite web|last1=Groot|first1=Evert|title=Exclusive: They are the expert jurors for Eurovision 2018|url=https://eurovision.tv/story/exclusive-jury-members-eurovision-2018|website=eurovision.tv|publisher=European Broadcasting Union|access-date=30 April 2018|date=30 April 2018}}

• Aya Korem (jury chairperson){{snd}}singer, songwriter (jury member in semi-final 1)
• Eli Cohen (Eliko){{snd}}radio DJ
• Dafna Lustig{{snd}}music journalist, radio DJ, TV host
• Yaakov Lamai{{snd}}musical producer, arranger
• Gal Uchovsky{{snd}}music journalist
• Hagai Uzan{{snd}}music journalist, producer, personal artist manager (jury member in the final)

{{Notelist}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest}}

{{Eurovision Song Contest 2018}}

{{Netta Barzilai}}

2018

Category:Countries in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018

Eurovision