The Eurovision Song Contest continues in Liverpool, with the second semi-final taking place on Thursday 11th May.
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During the first semi-final on Tuesday 9th May, the first of the 15 Eurovision 2023 countries performed with 10 later being confirmed for Saturday's grand final.
Amongst these acts was Israel's entry Noa Kirel, who wowed with her song Unicorn and secured one of the 10 spots in the final.
Some might be wondering how Israel can compete in the European singing competition. While Israel is not a part of Europe, it is one of many non-European countries that take part in the international singing contest, including Australia and Armenia – but why is that the case?
Here's everything you need to know about why Israel can take part in Eurovision.
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Why is Israel in Eurovision?
While many often think that a country needs to be part of Europe to take part in Eurovision, that is not the case.
Israel has taken part in the Eurovision Song Contest every year since 1973 as the country has been represented by a national broadcaster which is part of the European Broadcasting Union since 1957.
The Israel Broadcasting Authority was a member of the EBU from 1957 up until 2017, at which point the IBA was replaced as Israel's public broadcaster by the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation. The IPBC is currently a member of the EBU, which allows Israel to continue to compete in Eurovision.
Other non-European members of the EBU include Armenia, Cyprus and Australia – all of which are competing in Eurovision 2023.
Who is representing Israel in Eurovision 2023?
Israel will be represented by singer-songwriter Noa Kirel, who'll be performing her single Unicorn in the first semi-final of the 2023 competition (Tuesday 9th May).
Israel has won Eurovision four times over the last 50 years, the most recent time being in 2018 with Netta's Toy.
The country has only failed to qualify six times, including last year, when Michael Ben David came in 13th place in the second semi-final with 13 points.
The Eurovision Song Contest will begin on Tuesday 9th May 2023. Listen to all of this year's Eurovision songs on Amazon Music, Apple Music or TIDAL, while the full album of tracks is available on CD now.
You can also check out the full list of Eurovision winners and how many times the UK has won Eurovision here. If you're looking for something to watch tonight, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide.
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