And the 24-year-old may find she is judged on more than just her musical prowess this year as her performance comes amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
And in its almost seven-decade history it has expanded from seven countries taking part to 37 this year.
And this year is no exception as Israel’s entry has found herself the subject of several demonstrations ahead of the grand final.
Yuval Raphael is representing Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest (Photo: Denis Balibouse/Reuters)Born in Tel Aviv, the 24 -year-old lived in Geneva, Switzerland for three years of her childhood.
On 7 October 2023, she was one of thousands attending the Nova Sukkot Gathering music festival in southern Israel when Hamas terrorists attacked.
Israel’s Dana International won the 1998 Eurovision Song Contest (Photo: Peter Bischoff/Getty)
Why does Israel compete in Eurovision?
Israel has been permitted to join the Eurovision Song Contest since 1973 and has won the competition four times to date.
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The IBA was superceded by the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (IPBC/Kan) in 2017 but membership of the union has continued.
Under EBU rules, members “enjoy all the benefits of EBU membership including participation in the Eurovision Song Contest, access to know-how, networking, training from the EBU Academy, and access to the News Exchange and Sports acquisitions if they contribute to these services”.
Dana International’s win with “Diva” in 1998 made Eurovision history, as it was by the first openly transgender artist.
Have there been protests over Israel competing this year?
The singer was performing “New Day Will Rise” during the preview show on Thursday night when six people with “oversized flags and whistles” obstructed her act.
A protester seen with a whistle and waving the Palestinian flag as Yuval Raphael performed during the rehearsal for the song contest’s semi-final on Thursday 15 May (Photo: Harold Cunningham/Getty)
A spokeswoman for SRG SSR said: “During the dress rehearsal for the second semi-final of the ESC this afternoon, the performance of Israeli singer Yuval Raphael was disrupted.
“Security personnel were able to quickly identify those involved and escort them out of the hall.
“At the same time, we would like to emphasise that the organisers are committed to a neutral, safe, inclusive and respectful environment at the ESC.”
Protesters hold a banner and Palestinian flags as they demonstrate against Israel’s candidate during the Eurovision Song Contest’s opening ceremony in Basel on Sunday 11 May (Photo: Stefan Wermuth/AFP/Getty)
However, Pro-Palestinian protests have been held during this year’s event in the city of Basel on both Sunday 11 May and Wednesday 14 May, with about 150 people involved.
Israel’s government said Raphael, a survivor of the October 7 Hamas attacks, encountered a “hostile crowd”, during the Sunday opening ceremony, and criticised the protests.
Posting on social media after her succcess in Thursday’s semi-final, Raphael wrote: “Thank you to everyone who voted.
“Thank you for the overwhelming love and support.”
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