Lebanon in the Eurovision Song Contest

Infobox Eurovision country
Name = Lebanon

---

Member station = Télé Liban
National selection event =
ESC apps = Withdrew in 2005
ESC first =
ESC best =
ESC worst =
Website = [http://web.archive.org/web/20050306022126/www.lebanon.com/eurovision/ Télé Liban's Eurovision page]
EBU page = http://www.eurovision.tv/index/main?page=67&country=44

Lebanon has never participated in the Eurovision Song Contest. Its broadcasting organization, Télé Liban, was set to make the country's debut at the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 with the song "Quand tout s'enfuit" performed by Aline Lahoud, but withdrew due to Lebanon's laws barring the broadcast of Israeli content.

Internal selection

On October 21, 2004, Ibrahim El Khoury, President Director General of Télé Liban, stated that Lebanon intended to make its debut at the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 in Kiev, Ukraine.cite web|url=http://esctoday.com/news/read/3279|title=Aline Lahoud first Lebanese participant!| last=Bakker|first=Sietse|date=2004-11-03|publisher="ESCToday"|accessdate=2008-08-09] On November 3, 2004, it was announced that Aline Lahoud was internally selected by the network to represent Lebanon. [cite web|url=http://web.archive.org/web/20050210194304/www.oikotimes.com/site/index.php?id=381|title=Lebanese and Latvian news update over their national selections|last=Konstantopoulos| first=Fotis| date=2005-01-11| publisher="Oikotimes"| accessdate=2008-08-10] Her orient-occident song "Quand tout s'enfuit", sung in French and written by Jad Rahbani and Romeo Lahoud, was chosen in mid-February. [cite web|url=http://www.esctoday.com/news/read/3848|title=Aline Lahoud to sing Quand tout s'enfuit|author=X Tra|date=2005-02-19|publisher="ESCToday"|accessdate=2008-08-09] Lahoud was scheduled to present her song in the semi-final held on May 19, 2005.cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4362373.stm|title=Lebanon withdraws from Eurovision|first=2005-03-18|publisher="BBC News"|accessdate=2008-08-09]

Withdrawal

On December 15, 2004, Télé Liban announced that financial constraints forced them to withdraw from the contest, and denied reports that it was due to politcial conflicts with Israel. [cite web|url=http://esctoday.com/news/read/3485|title=Lebanon withdraws for financial reasons| last=Philips|first=Roel| date=2004-12-15|publisher="ESCToday"| accessdate=2008-08-09] However, five days later, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) reached an agreement with Télé Liban and Lebanon was put on the official list of participants.cite web|url=http://www.esctoday.com/news/read/4060|title=Breaking News: Lebanon Withdraws| last=Bakker|first=Sietse| date=2005-03-18|publisher="ESCToday"| accessdate=2008-08-09]

In early March 2005, the official Lebanese Eurovision Song Contest website did not list Israel as a participant. After the EBU asked Télé Liban to resolve the issue within 24 hours or face disqualification, the site removed the complete list of participants and replaced the page with a link to Eurovision.tv, the official Eurovision Website.cite web|url=http://esctoday.com/news/read/3951|title=Télé Liban tries to prevent Lebanese disqualification|last=Philips|first=Roel|date=2005-03-04|publisher="ESCToday"|accessdate=2008-08-09]

Later that month, the EBU asked Télé-Liban to assure that they would broadcast the entire contest, including the Israeli entry, without interruption. Télé Liban could not guarantee that request, so on March 18, 2005, it once again announced its withdrawal from the contest. Lebanese legislation prohibited the broadcast of Israeli content on Lebanese television networks. [cite web|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-106667846.html|title=Lebanon to boycott Eurovision due to Israel's participation|date=2005-03-20|publisher="The Jerusalem Post"|accessdate=2008-08-10] Since Télé Liban withdrew almost three months after the December 15 "no consequence" withdrawal deadline, the broadcaster was penalized, losing its participation fee and given a three year ban.cite web|url=http://www.esctoday.com/news/read/7969|title=Mika interested in Eurovision entry|last=Kuipers|first=Michael|date=2007-03-13|publisher="ESCToday"|accessdate=2008-08-09]

Future

Due to its three-year ban, Télé Liban cannot enter the Eurovision Song Contest until 2009.

In 2007, Lebanon-born singer Mika, stated that he was interested in entering the contest for Lebanon in 2008, for one of the other Lebanese television stations not serving a ban, such as the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation (LBC) or Future Television, either of which could join the EBU.

Contestants

References