Israel won the 2018 Eurovision singing competition in Libson, Portugal on May 12, meaning that the contest will be held in Jerusalem next year.
Israeli singer Netta Barzilai secured the victory with her performance of the song “Toy,” an uptempo techno pop song with the catchy line, “I’m not your toy, you stupid boy!” Throughout the performance, Barzilai engaged in chicken dance moves.
Barzilai finished with 529 points from the judges and viewers in the competition. As she held the trophy, the 25-year-old singer proclaimed, “I love my country. Next time in Jerusalem!”
Barzilai also told her fans in a video posted to Twitter, “Thank you for choosing me. Thank you for choosing different. Thank you for choosing daring. I love you, keep that going. Do good to others, be good to yourselves. That’s about it, let’s party!”
The streets of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem erupted into celebration from Barzilai’s win. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Barzilai in a phone call and paid homage to her in his Sunday cabinet meeting.
“These days Jerusalem is being blessed with many gifts,” Netanyahu said. “We received another one last night with Netta’s thrilling and suspenseful victory. The gift is that Eurovision will come to Jerusalem next year; we will be very proud to host it.”
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