The clouds surrounding Israel's participation in Eurovision 2022 lifted as Michael Ben David, this year's contestant, boarded the plane to Turin, where this year's song contest will take place, with his backup dancers and other members of his entourage.
Eurovision will open on May 10 and the final will take place on May 14. Ben David will perform the winning song, "I.M," in the semifinal on May 12 and if it is one of the 10 songs that makes the cut, he will move on to the final.
Radiating joy, Ben David and his dancers showed off their moves at the airport and took video of signs at the airport wishing him luck, even filming the delegation taking their seats on the plane.
The second delegation of Israel's Eurovision team will set off on May 8. Ben David spent most of the pandemic working in a grocery store to make ends meet until he was chosen to represent Israel at Eurovision, and as he stood on the plane, he looked as if he could not quite believe he was really heading for Italy.
Ben David, who has spoken about the very personal meaning of "I.M," his self-empowerment anthem, explaining that he was bullied in school for being gay, was afraid he might not make it to Turin, even after he won The X Factor, Israel's contest to determine a Eurovision representative, in February.
First, sources close to Ben David told Ynet and other news outlets that he was thinking of dropping out because KAN, the government broadcaster, was not providing him with the professional support he needed, and he expressed “dissatisfaction with the professional conduct,” of the network, saying he would drop out if he felt that he could not represent Israel “with dignity.”
This crisis passed, but in early April, KAN tweeted, “As of now, due to the Foreign Ministry strike that affects the security protocols, the Israeli delegation will not attend the Eurovision in Turin.” In a theatrical touch, the network posted an Instagram story showing Ben David singing, “Sometimes life gets you down.” But Channel 12 News reported on April 28 that Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) had figured out a way to provide adequate security for Ben David and Israel's whole Eurovision delegation.
All these obstacles faded as Ben David boarded the plane on Sunday and grinned as passengers applauded him.