Following the IBA's executive manager's announcement a few weeks ago that the Israeli representative for the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest will be chosen internally, a new conflict within the broadcaster arises now.

The musician Ya'akov Nave (himself a participant in the 1995 Kdam-Eurovision), who is a member of the IBA's board, submitted a letter to IBA's head manager and to the minister in charge of the national broadcaster, regarding the importance of Israel's participation in the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest. In light of our sad achievement in the last contest, it is crucial that the 2007 entrant will be chosen in the utmost professional manner; the whole board should be involved in selecting the members of the committee that will chose the entrant and in setting the artistic criterion for the procedure.

Nave also says in his letter that the Eurovision Song Contest is indeed an entertainment event, but in fact it is also a prime international platform which is very important for Israel. The committee must include members with a successful record in the contest and be under the leadership of a well known cultural figure.

The reply ofthe IBA's board chairman was that appointing the IBA's Eurovision committee is a prerogative of the IBA's executive manager. The board is only allowed to observe on the process.