Israel does not qualify for Eurovision finals, first time since 2014
Israel's current champion is Netta Barzilai, with her song 'Toy' winning in 2018
Israel was eliminated from the Eurovision Song Contest semifinals on Thursday, preventing the country from qualifying for the final stage for the first time in eight years.
Michael Ben David was Israel's representative for 2022, who entered his song "I.M." into the competition. Ben David, a 25-year-old from Petah Tikvah, was the winner of "The X Factor Israel."
“I.M.” contains themes of self-acceptance and is a fitting anthem for Ben David. He spoke candidly throughout “The X Factor Israel” about the challenges he faced coming out as gay to his mother and being bullied as a child, the Eurovision website explained.
The Jewish state has won Eurovision four times since its debut in 1973. Israel's first win was with Izhar Cohen and the Alphabeta in the 1978 Eurovision contest with their song "A-Ba-Ni-Bi."
Israel's Milk and Honey won just one year later at the 1979 contest, the first to be hosted in Israel, for their performance of "Hallelujah."
Some 20 years later, in 1998, Dana International was Israel's third winner and the first transgender performer to win Eurovision with her song "Diva."
Israel's current champion is Netta Barzilai, with her song "Toy" winning in 2018.
Israel is in seventh place with four wins for most Eurovision wins, trailing behind Ireland with a record seven wins, Sweden with six, and France, the UK, the Netherlands and Luxembourg with five wins each.
The Eurovision final takes place on Saturday and features representatives from 25 countries, including France, Germany, Spain, and more.