Israel has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 45 times since making its debut in . Israel was able to enter the contest as the Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA) was an active member of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which was responsible for the event. The IBA was succeeded as the broadcaster in charge of the Israeli entry by the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (IPBC/Kan) in 2018. Israel has won the contest four times, and has hosted the contest in Jerusalem in and , and in Tel Aviv in .
Israel's first appearance in the contest in 1973 was successful, with Ilanit finishing fourth. Israel then achieved victories in 1978 and 1979, with wins for Izhar Cohen and the Alphabeta with the song "A-Ba-Ni-Bi", and Milk and Honey with "Hallelujah". In , the IBA declined to host the contest for the second successive year for financial reasons, and as the date for the contest in the Hague conflicted with Yom HaZikaron – Israeli Memorial Day – Israel did not participate. This is the only time that the winning country did not compete the following year. The country's best results in the 1980s were second-place finishes for Avi Toledano in and Ofra Haza in . Former winner Izhar Cohen returned to place fifth in , before Duo Datz finished third in . Israel achieved its third victory in , with Dana International and "Diva". Eden then finished fifth in . To date, Israel has the record for most participations and most wins in the contest without ever coming last, but it has placed second to last in the final three times, in , and , and got nul points from the juries in 2019.
Since the introduction of the semi-finals in 2004, Israel has failed to reach the final six times. In , Shiri Maimon gave the country its tenth top five result, finishing fourth. Having failed to qualify for the final for four consecutive years (2011–14), Israel reached the final with Nadav Guedj ultimately finishing ninth in , and the country has participated in the final every year since, with the exception of . Israel's fourth victory came in , courtesy of Netta with "Toy".
History
To date there have been four Israeli victories in the contest. Izhar Cohen and Alphabeta won in Paris in with "A-Ba-Ni-Bi". On home ground in Jerusalem , Israel won again, this time with "Hallelujah" performed by Milk and Honey. Unusually, Israel did not defend the title in (see below). The third victory came almost 20 years later in Birmingham in , when Dana International took top honours with the song "Diva". It took a 20-year wait for Israel to record its fourth victory at the in Lisbon, with the song "Toy" by Netta, earning Israel its highest-ever score of 529 points.
Israel's earliest selections were picked by the Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA). The first singer to represent the country was Ilanit, who finished 4th in . In 1972, while Ilanit was in Germany recording as part of the duo Ilan and Ilanit with her partner Shlomo Tzach, the duo received an offer to represent in . Since Israel was eligible to participate, they approached the IBA with a proposal that Ilanit would represent Israel. However, the registration period was over by then and Ilanit was told she could represent Israel in 1973. After she was sent again four years later, it was decided that henceforth the winner of the Hebrew Song Festival would represent Israel. The 1978 and 1979 Israeli Eurovision winners were selected by this method. From 1981, the selection process took place via the Kdam Eurovision with the exception of 1990, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002–2004, 2006–2007 and 2010, when the IBA selected its representatives internally.
After winning the contest in 1978 and 1979, the IBA was financially and logistically unable to organise the event for a second consecutive year. The Netherlands agreed to host the 1980 contest in Israel's place. The date chosen for that year's contest coincided with Yom HaZikaron, Israeli Memorial Day, so Israel could not compete. This made Israel the only country to date unable to defend its title. The 1980 winning song "Pizmon Chozer" by The Brothers & the Sisters never had an opportunity to compete. In 1984, Israel again refrained from participating due to the same date conflict.
Israel's entries have had a mixed reception. Avi Toledano () and Ofra Haza () scored well with big revivalist numbers, but the all-singing, all-dancing style became less popular later in the decade and Israel's entry, "Yavo Yom" by Moti Giladi and Sarai Tzuriel, came in 19th.
In , Israel finished 8th with "Shir Habatlanim" by the satiric duo Lazy Bums. Then-Israeli Minister of Culture, Yitzhak Navon, said he would resign if the song went on to represent Israel at the contest; this ultimately did not occur.