Contest year
- Host City
- Jerusalem, Israel
- Venue
- Usshishkin Hall
- Final Date
- January 1, 1999
- Entries
- 23
- Notable for major rule shifts, 1999 was the first contest since 1976 to allow free language choice and the first to drop the orchestra entirely, relying on backing tracks.
- Hosting in Jerusalem drew Orthodox community protests, funding doubts, and heightened security.
- A new rule created the automatic-qualifying “Big Four” from 2000.
- Latvia withdrew late and Portugal replaced it, while Russia remained absent for not broadcasting in 1998.
- Ireland’s televote failed and a back-up jury was used, and Croatia was later penalised for illicit backing vocals.
- via Wikipedia
Presenters
Yigal Ravid, Dafna Dekel, Sigal Shahamon
Sweden – Take Me To Your Heaven 
Israel 
