Israel took seventh place of 21 countries competing in the Eurovision song festival in Dublin Saturday night.
The annual event, sponsored by the European Broadcasting Union, was held in Ireland. That country won the contest in 1987 and with it the privilege of hosting this year’s contest. The 1988 winner was Switzerland; Britain was runner-up.
Israeli singer Yardena Arazi was satisfied to rank among the top third of the contestants with her specially written song, “Ben-Adam” (Human Being). Many Israelis felt that anti-Israel sentiment in Europe this year, generated by the situation in the administered territories, would have prevented Israel from winning no matter how great its song and performance.
Arazi and her back-up musicians were greeted with media hostility when they arrived in Dublin last week. The Israeli group was under heavy police guard throughout its stay.
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