Israeli singer Dana International's song "Ding Dong" did not make it to the Eurovision final to be held on Saturday.
The pop star represented Israel at the Eurovision semi-final on Thursday in Dusseldorf, Germany.
Among those who made it to the final were Sweden, Estonia, Romania, Denmark, Moldova and Ireland.
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All you need is... a good song
Dana International again to represent Israel at Eurovision
Germany wins Eurovision song contestIn 1998, International won the Eurovision contest with her song "Diva," making her the only transsexual to ever win the European song contest.
The lsraeli singer beat out nine other Israeli acts at the pre-Eurovision competition in March.
Israel has triumphed at the Eurovision on three occasions. The first was
in 1978 in Paris when Izhar Cohen won with “Aba Nibi,” composed by
Nurit Hirsh with lyrics by Ehud Manor. Israel won again in Jerusalem in
1979 when Gali Atari, backed by Milk and Honey, performed “Hallelujah”
composed by Kobi Oshrat with lyrics by Shimrit Orr.
Of the 23 countries that have won Eurovision contests over the years,
Ireland is ahead with seven wins, followed by France, Luxembourg and the
United Kingdom, with five wins each.
Eurovision, which is one of the longest-running and most widely watched
television shows in the world, was inaugurated on May 24, 1956. When
Israeli singers who are considered to be icons at home do poorly at
Eurovision, there is often a hue and cry about politics influencing the
vote. Zvika Pick, who has composed several melodies for the contest and
who has often accompanied the Israeli delegation, discounts such
allegations. In a recent interview on Channel One, Pick said that
politics had nothing do with the outcome. “All you need is a good song,”
he said.