Israel, a three-time winner in the Eurovision song contest, placed third in this year’s competition, broadcast worldwide from Rome on Saturday night.
Sweden took first prize and France was second in the global competition, which is organized by the European Broadcasting Union and televised annually.
The Israeli entry was a song titled “Kan” (Here), about the joys of living in Israel. It was performed by Orna and Moshe Datz, a husband-and-wife duo.
It was a tight race, in which 22 national juries awarded points on a scale of 1 to 8, and panels selected by local national broadcasting authorities gave up to 10 and 12 points.
Israel compiled a total of 139 points. France and Sweden tied with 144 points, but the judges gave first prize to Sweden because Sweden placed first with more of the juries.
The Israeli entry led the race until halfway through the competition when it slipped behind, after the German, Austrian and Italian juries failed to award any points to Israel.
Israeli viewers accused the Germans and Austrians of political motivation in not awarding Israel any points. Neither country has ever awarded Israel any points in past competitions.
Israel took first prize in the Eurovision contest on three previous occasions.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
