Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022

Ben David’s participation faced uncertainty before the contest. In February 2022, sources close to him said he was considering withdrawal because of dissatisfaction with the professional support he was receiving. The crisis passed, but in April Kan said a Foreign Ministry strike affecting security protocols meant the delegation would not attend Turin. Channel 12 later reported that the Shin Bet had found a way to provide security, and Ben David traveled on May 1, with a second delegation due to leave on May 8.[2]

Michael Ben David, 25, won the February 5 final of Reshet 13’s “X Factor for Eurovision” and was selected to represent Israel with “I.M.” It was the first time the X Factor format had chosen Israel’s Eurovision representative; in recent years, the selection had been made through “The Next Star.”[8]

The final featured four contestants—Ben David, Eli Huli, Inbal Bibi, and Sapir Saban—and combined votes from the audience (50 percent), a professional committee (25 percent), and the judges (25 percent). Ben David received 214 points, one ahead of Huli’s 213; Bibi placed third with 173. Both the judges and the professional committee favored Huli, but the audience vote put Ben David ahead.[9]

After his victory, Ben David said: “Only six months ago I worked at a supermarket. I came here, I worked harder than ever and I want to thank you all for voting for me.” The live result announcement also included a brief discrepancy: the host said Huli had received 96 points, while the scoreboard showed 95; Ynet reported that the scoreboard was correct.[1]

“I.M.” was written, composed, and originally arranged by Assi Tal, Lidor Saadia, and Chen Aharoni. A revised international arrangement and official music video were released in March 2022. The video featured dancers, costume changes, and a colorful, glamorous style, with production by Sam Lassner, also known as Prince Fox.[4]

The revised arrangement became a point of disagreement. Aharoni said the writers had not been consulted and learned of the change on the day of the video shoot; he had been working on a revised version himself and felt the decision had taken control out of his hands. Kan responded that the updated version was produced by Sam Lassner and that the song’s creators remained part of the professional team.[5]

Israel competed in the second semifinal in Turin on May 12, 2022. Ben David performed second at the Pala Olimpico, where reports described applause and an excited audience.[10] At the end of the performance, he told the crowd, “Thank you, love yourself, be proud of who you are. I Love you!”[3]

Israel did not place among the ten acts advancing to the final. Ben David finished 13th in the semifinal with 61 points, 35 fewer than the tenth-place entry. The result marked Israel’s first failure to qualify since 2014, when Mei Finegold also did not advance.[11]

Ben David said that he and his team had put their “heart and soul” into the performance, while the Israeli delegation said that “Everything went according to plan.”[3] He later described “I.M.” as a song about celebrating himself and feeling great.[6] He linked its self-affirming message to his experiences of being bullied at school for his high-pitched voice and of his mother initially having difficulty accepting him after he came out as gay.[9]

After the contest, Ben David said he had encountered antisemitism during interviews in Turin. He recounted interviewers telling him they did not want to speak with him because he was Israeli, including the phrase “Israel? We don’t want you.” He also said that he saw many Israeli flags in the audience but none appeared on camera. Ynet presented these as Ben David’s claims at a press conference rather than as independently established events. He nevertheless said he enjoyed the contest and regretted nothing, including entering the presenters’ live camera frame with an Israeli flag and kissing them.[6]

Raheli Baratz-Rix, of the World Zionist Organization’s Department for Combatting Antisemitism and Enhancing Resilience, disputed Ben David’s characterization, saying that losing Eurovision was not antisemitic and that the term should not be used lightly. The competing statements reflect differing assessments of the incidents he described; the available reports did not independently establish what occurred during the interviews.[6][7]

A 2023 scholarly article cataloged by the National Library of Israel interprets Eurovision as significant to Israeli cultural diplomacy and nation-branding. Its abstract also characterizes Israel’s participation as part of ongoing Zionist-Israeli nation-building and notes that the contest and the selection of a representative can prompt values-laden debate. This provides a broader analytical lens for the 2022 campaign, not evidence of a dispute specific to that year’s entry.[12]