Israeli broadcaster KAN today announced Israel will not participate at Eurovision 2022 if strikes at the country’s Foreign Ministry continue.
The Israeli security service Shin Bet does not have the capacity to send the Israeli delegation to the Eurovision Song Contest in this May, KAN reports.
As it stands, Michael Ben David, who was set to sing “I.M” for Israel, will not compete at this year’s competition in Turin. The EBU is yet to make an official statement on Israel’s participation.
Israel to withdraw from Eurovision following government strikes
Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation KAN broke the news on Twitter this morning.
KAN wrote: “Due to the strike by the Foreign Ministry, the GSS can not handle the Israeli delegation to the Eurovision Song Contest, and as of this moment, the Israeli delegation will not participate in the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest in Turin.”
??? ????? ???? ???? ????? ?? ???? ???? ??????? ?????? ???????? ??????????? ????? ???? ??, ?????? ???????? ?? ????? ??????????? 2022 ???????.
— ??? (@kann) April 12, 2022
However, Michael Ben David may still be able to participate using the live-on-tape backup recording of “I.M”.
In accordance with Eurovision rules and in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, all participating artists are required to film a backup performance of their entry, should the artist(s) be unable to travel to the host nation. In 2021, Australia’s Montaigne competed remotely using this method.
KAN did not mention Michael’s live-on-tape as a possibility. However, in a reply in its Twitter thread, the broadcaster said “all options” are being considered
The EBU is yet to make an official statement.
As of now, due to the Ministry of Foreign affairs strike, that affects the security protocols, the Israeli delegation will not attend the Eurovision in Turin.
— KAN Eurovision Israel (@kaneurovision) April 12, 2022
Fun fact: The live on tape is from the final of xfactor with the first version of the song.. they create the live on tape a few moment after the xfactor final show.
wtf actually?
Crisis probably averted. Ronen Bar, head of the Israeli Security Agency, has instructed to secure the Israeli Eurovision delegation without the involvement of the Foreign Ministry. According to protocol, when securing a delegation abroad the Israeli Security Agency is collaborating with the local representatives of the Israeli Foreign Ministry who make the arrangement with the local authorities and organizers and collect all necessary data in advance. This time this it will not be possible due to the strike, and the people at the Israeli Security Agency are trying to find a way to secure the delegation without the involvement of… Read more »
Yeah I think we’ll be fine.
Update from Israel’s ESC journalist website EuroMix. Article title: “The head of the General Security Agency Nadav Argaman guided the organization to look into potential solutions for Israel’s security for ESC 2022” “Last night the Israeli broadcaster announced that the Israeli delegation will not travel to Torino if there will not be a solution to the security problem. For a few months now the Foreign Ministry have been holding a strike due to the employees having issues with the conditions of their employment. As long as the FM will not provide relevant information to the GSA, they will not be… Read more »
I cant believe wiw aloud those hateful and fake news about Israel to appear here.
Wiwi shame on you..
You have lots of Israel haters here who use this blog to write incitement nonsense against Israel.. i hope you will do something about it.
By the way Morrocon oil the sponser of Eurovision for the last 3 years is an Israeli company.. So Israeli money is good for Eurovision i guess.
Politics should stay out of this blog.. other ways ,you will loose all of your Israelis readers.
Yes all the downvotes from Israel Haters bla bla bla
It was published in the israeli media, what do you want from wiwiblogs? Im israeli, so i know what im talking about
Im talking about the hateful comments of no brain boring pepole below…
i agree that some people are really exaggerating with the comments regarding this entry but people will always have something bad to say, i can understand why it happens with this song, its very in your face in every aspect.
after all its only music, whether its good or bad song some people are just overreacting. michael is an amazing performer but the song is very specific and not for everyone. michael for sure is more then the song that was given to him
And they even embedded the tweets, idk what’s wrong with some people
why do they need security services? wtf?
And Israel can still send the live-on-tape performance.
I guess KAN either does not want to send Michael and his song OR they create drama on purpose to put more pressure to the government
Last that I heard, people still like to kill Jews. Why do people have to be so horrible to one another?!?!
Becouse Israel always suffering from threats
What happened to Eurovision those last years? We have sudden withdrawals and political/economical drama almost every edition.
Actually, it was always like this but without social media.
Nothing happened. Exactly nothing changed lmao
Really sad for Michael and the performers. On the other hand, if there is any ESC year one could choose to skip, it would be 2022. A silver lining, perhaps?
You didn’t ask me, but I’ll answer anyway. I’m guessing Purple Mask means the horrors in Ukraine cast a big cloud over it.
Go 5 minutes without being political challenge
I just failed, sorry.
The world will never be a fair place. There’s probably been something horrible happening every year since the contest started. Yemen, the Rohingyas, Afghanistan, all still happening. For some reason, we find those easier to ignore.
At least the arena in Torino was not built by slaves. It’s the FIFA World Cup that countries should be skipping.
The arena in Torino may not have been built by slaves—by European wealth certainly was built on the backs of slaves, and Europe still benefits massively from its colonial legacy.
All the more reason for us to help those who need it.
I wholeheartedly agree.
Not exclusively. If one is starting an international pop career then one needs to be remembered. But the songs aren’t strong enough; that, when combined with war and politics, becomes a pass. I really want ESC to be successful, but its music needs to be memorable, and its peace message is very importantly nullified this year. Truly awful all round.
Because the songs are under par, and it will only really be remembered for the war. Not a great year in which to launch your career.
I can only imagine how awful Michael himself must be feeling now. I’m honestly reminded a bit of the situation Ovidia Anton from Romania had in 2016 where due to unpaid debts the country withdrew RIGHT before the contest took place. OK, Israel faces a COMPLETELY different reason, but it would still be extremely awful for him regardless. I hope this all is resolved in time, and Michael will be able to compete in Eurovision without a hindrance, even if it means using a live-on-tape performance, that’d be OK. It worked solidly for Australia last year. (If you don’t count… Read more »
Anyone who knows how Israeli politics work knows this will not happen. Problem will be resolved and Israel will appear loud and bold.
Off-topic here…Where are the reviews? Right around this time the Wiwi writers review and grade every song in the contest, one by one, with the last one reviewed the weekend before the contest begins. You guys are late.
They also didn’t go over SF2’s running order or the pre-rehearsal semi predictions.
Maybe because there was a death in Williams family. So calm down and be patient. I’m as excited as you for it but the reality is sometimes other things in life take priority.
Not everyone was aware of that, no need for the attitude.
Sending William and his family condolences and thoughts.
I didn’t know that. I don’t think very many here knew that, since nothing was posted here regarding any unforeseeable situation (for lack of a better word).
Isreal shoudn’t be in Eurovision at all to start with. Not sure why it takes so long to EBU to draw that line, where Belarus, Russia cause more political trouble then Israel.
P.S. I don’t care about downvotes and don’t bother to reply.
The thing that you are too stupid to understand is that the situation between Israel and P*lestine didn’t change for decades. So the EBU has 0 reason to kick Israel now.
Israel should always be in the Eurovision becouse its the only real democracy in the middle east, LGBT enjoy full rights and equality.. Israel is the second state in the world with a tech companies and help the world with all its scientific and medical developments.
Israel is the only country in the world to have established a huge Israeli hospital on the Ukrainian polish border and save Ukrainian life.
I want to correct something: Queer folks do not have equal rights…Yes Israel doesn’t treat queer people horrendously like other middle eastern countries do, but we are far from having “full rights and equality”
We are not that far from that.. except marriage,lGBT enjoy all rights.. but still the Israeli supreme court accept rights for gays partners as if they were married…
Read EL AL verdict.
Not that far but pretty far. Luckily we got some good people who get things going. Gay Men were only given the right to donate blood I believe it was mid 2021. Got some big progress for sure but still a lot more work that needs to be done.
I’m certainly happy I was born in Israel and not in well…any of the other middle eastern countries.
Israel is the best place for a good living for my opinion of course. and I lived in other states.
Unless you are an arab….and getting discriminated every day in Israel
Thats not true.
Arabs and jews are living working and studying together.
Most of us support co existing.
No great loss!
Not a big deal, the song was terrible and wouldn’t be in the grand final
Worst case scenario for Israel is that they have to use their live-on-tape performance. Thus, I don’t think they’ll actually withdraw from Eurovision.
The song is very good. It has to go on the big stage.
Song is tripe anyway. Won’t be missed
Hmm, just imagine you were in his place and people were to act that way towards you. How’d that make you feel?
If not, Michael can return with a better song next year…
“Now that many people came around on this entry and actually started to like it”… What is that statement based on? Just checked the betting odds to get an idea of general sentiment, and it’s peaking at 34th out of 40 countries.
People don’t bet on the songs they like, they bet on the songs they think might win.
You’re deflecting. How could anyone state that “many people started liking entry X, entry Y or entry Z” based on nothing? All I’m saying is that this is a baseless claim (which is not surprising, this is what the internet is in 2022…).
If I’m deflecting, I’m deflecting. I wasn’t trying to answer your question.
I have no problem with someone saying “I changed my mind and started liking this song”. What I’m challenging here is baseless claims and people inventing a non-existent public support only to strengthen a personal opinion.
It’s like I’m commenting “Many people started liking Amanda Tenfjord’s hair”, “Many people are starting to dislike Stefania” or “No one likes Brividi”. These are all based on nothing.
Here we go: so you hand-picked a handful of random comments all saying what you wanted, and turned them into a general statement. Congrats, you would be a great politician (the thing is I’m not sure “great politician” is a compliment ;)). I’m sure you are well aware that tons of comments were still very critical of this song even after the recent live performances. Also this comment section is not representative of the fanbase (you should check what the Eurovision subreddit has to say about Wiwibloggs: a lot of people won’t get anywhere close to this website due to… Read more »
Betting odds is not a reflection of what people think about a song. Better yet, you can check out ESC Bubble’s Youtube channel as they’ve always have casual viewers and non-fans to react and comment on the songs upon first listen.
See my response here above: “Very well, but my question remains: what is your statement based on? Betting odds are not perfect but still one of the only objective measurements at this point”, etc.
Forget about the betting odds, the point is that the statement “Many people started liking this song” is based on nothing.
Likewise betting odds from bookkeepers.
Very well, but my question remains: what is your statement based on? Betting odds are not perfect but still one of the only objective measurements at this point (in the sense that they’re an aggregate of many people expressing an opinion about the songs and actually putting money on it). Other objective metrics like Spotify streams or YouTube views also indicate that Israel is doing poorly all around (and nothing indicates there was a recent change in opinions). So just curious why you boldly state that “many people started liking this entry”.
Yeah this is not good enough excuse for using live on tape.
They should be disqualified if they can not make it there…for stupid made up reasons…
The foreign ministry is on strike so we don’t have security and therefore we can’t send our delegation aboard but yeah it’s all made up they’re just doing it for the lolz ya know?
In case the obvious sarcasm wasn’t obvious, there you go.
Other countries ESC delegations move without security team.
But if Israel is that concerned for their safety, they could maybe hire bodyguards in Turin somehow…
Oh yes the magical bodyguards unite, why did I not think of that??
Look up “Munich massacre” and you will see why the security is needed.
It was 1972
Ah yes and nowadays there is no danger for Israelis traveling aboard. Everything is so peaceful and fine now : )
Oh that’s why every single Israeli citizen who travels abroad is always accompanied by a security team! I always wondered ? ! ! ?
Bruh….A delegation of Israelis traveling for ESC would be in clear danger…Israel needs extra security for events. You genuinely think the Israel delegation should travel to Torino with no security?
I kind of agree with you, not every Israeli team needs to be sent to ESC with Mosad agents. That is a bit too much. Strikes take place yearly in every European country.
PS. I have nothing against Michael Ben David, he seems like a really sweet person.
I just think live on tapes should be reserved only for very big reasons like Covid and War situations(like Ukraine would have been).
I agree this is not a justified reason to use a live on tape, I think this is quite a shameful excuse, when you got role models like Ukraine making the effort and making sure they will take part. The EBU should not start allowing countries to take advantage of prerecorded live tapes for reasons other than COVID or what is happening in Ukraine. Israel of all places should know better. They also should realise if they don’t go and do use the live recorded tapes, they are guaranteed no qualification for the final. Why, because when your commentator states… Read more »
It’s not at all shameful. They’re doing it for safety reasons. Not just for themselves, but for everybody. They’d be at even more risk than usual if the whole world knows they have no security.
Thank you for informing us that Mossad are the saviours of Eurovision. I hope Michael does goes to Turin, I love the song and his performance and it is a qualifier !
You’re quite welcome, any time.
If this was really true the Israeli media would have been reporting this. Eurovision is a big deal. Since they’re not, it’s obviously a negotiating tactic for KAN to get what they want from Ministry bureaucrats and everyone in Israel knows this.
They are reporting this.
the drama per capita is way too high this year, struggling to cope with all of this
They hosted in 2019 ? And now they can’t send a delegation to Torino ?
No Doris, read the article and the comments below Doris : )
The 50th anniversary of the Munich Olympics, and it seems like not much has changed. Sad.
Why are it always the same countries that cause Eurovision drama?
Notice how it’s always the most problematic countries?
It’s like that scene in one of the Harry Potter movies “ When it comes to trouble, why is it always you three?”
I hope Michael can compete! He has an amazing personality, and while his song is not to everyone’s taste, it is super catchy and will most likely qualify because Michael can PERFORM!
I am happy seeing a positive comment about Michael and I.M get this many upvote : )
same! I feel like people are liking Michael and Emma more, after some of the pre-party performances!
it was said before that MBD wanted to withdraw because of “artistic differences” with KAN Eurovision team. now this thing of “security” when, as the article says, they can use the “live-on-tape” option…. it seems they only want to create some drama around this candidature. we will probably watch him perform on his semifinal
I thought the exact same thing!
Why do people keep saying this? How will creating drama help Israel in anyway??
Literally. Most of Eurovision audience will have no preconceptions and will hear the songs for the first time ever. Drama won’t help you.
That’s exactly what I’m saying. Why do people think Israel is creating drama on purpose when it clearly will not have any benefits to it. No one will know or care about this in ESC.
Two, might sound weird, questions
1- Is KAN obliged to use the official security?
2- If not, why don’t they try to go private?
I mean, it’s Israel, I would bet there’s some ex-Mossad owned security company who would be cool with work in something like Eurovision on a budget and a hurry, and because the issue comes from the Ministry, KAN could even ask the government for reimbursement, as it wasn’t their fault.
KAN can not receive any extra money that exceeds their annual budget. Their budget is set in law and the meaning of giving them more money means changing the law. It was set up like that to prevent the crazy financial problems the IBA used to get itself into.
I think this is all a bit over-dramatic. Rather like the Israel announcement at the grand final of 2017 that “tonight, is our final night”.
I know that nobody got it but it was indeed IBA’s final night. The guy was talking specifically about IBA and he mentioned it.
And it was slightly uncertain if KAN could become a full member and take over Israel’s participation since at the time they were planning on separating the news and entertainment into different channels, which would’ve made them ineligible to join the EBU for the long term.
Terrible news for Michael Ben David, I was really fond of his personality and charisma.
However, I’m not buying into KAN’s drama. If Israel can compete whilst committing w*r crimes and b*mbing P*lestine to literal dust (for several years), they can sure compete if a government building is on strike. This is being used as an excuse for a reason which NONE of us know.
If Israel does withdraw and then sit out next year, I hope Lebanon, Morocco and possibly Turkey can return.
Didn’t even think for a second that this comment was better left in your head? And now it’s out in the open for anyone on the internet to see? Including potential employers doing a background check? Or school recruiters doing the same at a university you applied to? Just saying.
So you’re shaming anyone who doesn’t support Israel’s actions? Good to know.
But you’d prefer if Lebanon and Turkey competed? Sure isn’t like those countries have any recent governmental issues…
IKR? I don’t get people who want Israel out but Lebanon and Turkey in…
did Lebanon and turkey ethnically cleanse and entire state?
Yes Turkey the Armenians… go educate your self Please ASAP.
stop writing nonsense, the fact is Arab demography is only growing in Israel, so how exactly does it get along with ethnic cleansing?
Comparing modern-day APARTHEID in Israel to government issues in Lebanon or Turkey? Wow, you’ve stooped low.
Lebanon AND turkey are not Democracy’s ISRAEL is a real Democracy So It is impossible to compare lol
APHARTHID is not exist in Israel only in your not smart brain lol
@Thallo
I’m shaming a hypocrite is what I’m doing
You’re a hypocrite for defending Israel’s actions and comparing other countries ‘government issues’ to Israel’s modern-day apartheid. Shame.
why would anyone cancel them for that lol. in fact, you might wanna follow your own advice idk idk
How to spot an idiot: He doesn’t know that Morocco and Turkey have full diplomatic relations with Israel and their absence from the contest have NOTHING to do with Israel.
How to spot an id*ot: He doesn’t know that Morocco and Turkey have full diplomatic relations with Israel and their absence from the contest have NOTHING to do with Israel.
If you want to be naive, go ahead. Did you forget that Morocco completely ignored Israel’s invitation to participate in Tel Aviv? I wonder why.
Yeah, so they don’t mind Israelis coming to their country and having full diplomatic relations with Israel but the singing competition is where they draw the line (plus the diplomatic agreements with Morcoco are fairly new, but I didn’t expect you to know anything). Israel missed more than one ESC in the past 40 years, Morocco didn’t exactly jump on the opportunity to participate (except that one time). Try to use your brain more often. Maybe you will even start to develop some actual logic.
Morocco and Israel have normalised relations. However, the majority of Moroccans demand revocation of the country’s normalisation of ties with Israel. Do you actually think the majority of Moroccans want to recognize Israel?
Also, Israel never fully withdrew from Eurovision, they just missed out on participating in some years due to religious/cultural reasons. Why would Moroccan return knowing Israel will return the following year? If you actually used your brain you wouldn’t defend Israel.
Thallo is just a poor trool.. mind you Morroco loves Israel and the Morrocon king always stated that… If Morocco not in the Eurovision its has nothing to do with Israel..i see you are not very Smart or not at all smart.
Morocco loves Israel? Can I ask what planet your head is on?
Can i ask why your brain is not smart? @Thallo
https://atalayar.com/en/content/morocco-and-israel-sign-new-agreement-promote-israeli-tourism-kingdom
https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-morocco-gantz-signs-israels-first-ever-defense-mou-with-an-arab-country/
https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-israel-and-morocco-target-500m-annual-trade-1001403088
Who is the fake news spreader here about Morocco and Israel? you dude @ Thallo
you just writing nonsense without any proves . again you have issues go check your self
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/moroccan-king-eager-to-strengthen-ties-with-israel/2341447
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/moroccan-king-eager-to-strengthen-ties-with-israel/2341447
Rabat 2024, hopefully they’ll make it legal to be gay for at least two weeks.
Beirut 2024: hopefully they’ll make it legal to be gay for at least two minutes
Mars 2024: an end to the partisan hypocrisies of human beings for two weeks!
Israeli pinkwashing has melted your brain.
Also, Beirut has a vibrant gay community and that’s without any pinkwashing from the government (unlike Israel). Beirut even holds pride parades.
If you want to speak about LGBT rights in participating countries, let’s discuss Azerbaijan or Armenia next?
We don’t have to start there. At least 23 of the countries in this year’s contest treat gay people like second-class citizens. Including Italy, sadly.
You’re right, maybe I was wrong to imply that the problem started and ended with Morocco. It obviously does not.
That’s only because gay people exist in Lebanon the same way they exist everywhere. They might have slightly more freedom than others in that part of the world, but still not enough to stop the organizer of the parade from being arrested. Not exactly glowing praise.
About the so called “vibrant gay life and pride” in Lebanon. In 2017 the police cracked down the gay pride and arrested its founder Hadi Damien. The next day, the prosecutor of Beirut suspended the scheduled activities, and initiated criminal proceedings against Hadi for organizing events “that incite to debauchery”. That’s how vibrant Lebanon is. They also didn’t have gay pride events since 2020.
LGBT+ rights in Lebanon are far from perfect, we know that, so keep your facts you found on Google to yourself. Instead, spend some time researching pinkwashing in Israel.
And yes, the gay scene in Beirut IS in fact vibrant. The Beirut gay community struggle, yet they still find ways to celebrate and be proud. Beirut’s gay scene will forever be more vibrant than the pinkwashed city of Tel Aviv.
Yes gay life with Hizballah Islamic criminal group who control lebanon.. probably abuse gay people..keep writing nonsense and fake news…bla bla bla..
You’re clearly a zionist. There’s no point in conversing.
Why haven’t you mentioned how the government of Israel itself is a criminal group? Modern-day apartheid cannot and will not be hidden, no matter how much they pinkwash or manipulate.
Anyway, I’m glad to hear the crisis is averted and Michael Ben David will go to Turin. I will support him as an artist now and in the future.
IM PROUD JEWISH ZIONIST MIND YOU.
AND YOU HAVE ISSUES, GO TAKE CARE OFYOUR SELF.
FEEL SORRY FOR YOU, @Thallo
I don’t want to be rude, but I think we can clearly see who has issues here!
As I said before, I wish Michael the best of luck in Turin. He’s a great artist. Get well soon.
Yes we all see that you have really serious issues and problems, we all wish you well in your mantel health and with your reading realty.
Go support Criminals Hezbollah instead lol
We don’t need your support can do fine without it lol
You don’t need my support, but you sure as do need America’s support, weapons and money. Israel would not exist without the USA, that’s a fact that (educated) Israelis don’t deny.
Anyway, enough of politics. Best of luck in Turin!
No… we exist becouse we are smart people.thats a fact.
Israelis company’s makes billions of billions of Dollars.
So keep envy lol..and go back to your not smart country lol.
Go check how many countries in Europe and also U.S purchase ISRAEL technology made by Israelis brain’s.
Israel second in the world in Tech companies.
America cant buy the israelis brain’s in money. So keep envy. Again fell sorry for you dude..go and exam your self.
You are suffocating of hate like a dumb dog on a giant bone. Stop to breathe once in a while because you are writing complete nonsense.
So Lebanon having a gay community is normal and fine but if gays exist in Israel then it’s PiNkWasHiNg!!!!!111! Just admit you hate the fact a progressive, successful (far more successful than its neighbours) Jewish state exists.
Israel receives billions of dollars in aid from the US every single year. Spare a thought for how different Lebanon’s development may have been if it had also received upwards of $20 billion dollars every year from the US in aid, trade and low-interest loans.
Tell em, Jimmy!
Trying to make Lebanon look ‘backwards’ compared to Israel due to its stance on the LGBT+ community and their economy makes them look idiotic. There’s a reason for everything, some people refuse to acknowledge that. Ignorance is bliss.
Oh, you’re delusional. I don’t support modern-day apartheid states regardless of the state religion. Pinkwashing exists, It’s a fact that you can’t deny. If you do deny it, it makes you look ridiculous. Also, without the USA, Israel would be the same as its neighbours. PERIOD.
Being anti-Israel does NOT mean anti-Semitic. That’s a fact zionists will never understand because they’re too far up their own a**hole.
Terrible news for Michael Ben David, I was really fond of his personality and charisma.
However, I’m not buying into KAN’s drama. If Israel can compete whilst committing war crimes and bombing Palestine to literal dust (for several years), they can sure compete if a government building is on strike. This is being used as an excuse for a reason which NONE of us know.
If Israel does withdraw and sit out next year, I hope Lebanon, Morocco and then possibly Turkey will return.
Some of you commenters don’t seem to have that little barrier in your head between having a thought and thinking it needs to be posted. The fact that some of these comments could be posted without you even for a second thinking “hey, stating this makes me sound like a crazy person” makes me very sad. I’ll say it again: EUROVISION COUNTRIES ARE NOT CHARACTERS IN A TV SHOW. There are actual issues they face beyond just this contest.
I’m glad the sane people are seemingly in the majority in this comment section now so that makes me happy : )
Agree with you.. as an Israeli i getting used to those haters who sprade lies everywhere
I hope Michael can still represent his country in Turin. Don’t take this away from him. It’s a lifetime experience wich he will cherish for the rest of his career
Drama drama drama. Maybe they do understand that their chances for a good score this year are few and as so they try to get the spotlight via other means. As it was told before, Ukraine (that is literally in war) can go to Turin, but Israel not? And why did they already announce their withdrawal without even mentioning the possibility of the use of the live on tape, which is exactly why it is useful? I really don’t know what is going on with Israel this year. I hope that somehow they will make it, even via live on… Read more »
Yes Israel wants to create drama so more people would vote for them. Makes complete and utter sense…
KAN is not announcing a withdrawal, they are saying currently the Israeli delegation will not be going to Torino which is true. They are trying to their best to come up with a solution to get security with the delegation so they could go.
Ukraine and Israel have very different situations, there is no reason to compare the two…
With all due respect, saying that Israel is FAKING AN ATTACK ON NATIONAL SECURITY to score more points is actual goddamn lunacy. What on earth is wrong with you??
I think they were referring to KAN11’s dramatic announcement and not Israel faking anything. But I would not be shocked if that was what they meant.
Frankly as Maya G already said KAN11 didn’t mention the L. O. T and made things look dim so maybe some people could help them rile up and stop the strike that’s is making it impossible for them to travel to Torino.
Yeah, I balk at the idea that Kan would just completely throw away any possibility of doing Eurovision. If enough arms get twisted they can do it. I remember in 2012 they were also debating withdrawing because of security worries with Azerbaijan being so close to Iran.
Israel will always have security scares. Israelis gotta watch themselves wherever they go.
Calm down, if you read carefully my comment you will understand why I used the word drama. I never said that the national security issues are fake. Announcing though that Israel is not going to Turin, thus withdrawing from the contest (without clearly stating that there’s the live on tape option), this is drama. And it’s not the first time this year that Israel is on the edge of withdrawing.
Again, Israel did not announce a withdrawal. KAN11 said that AS OF NOW Israel will not travel to Torino. They did not mention the LOT and did not mention quitting the content altogether.
The Drama is only in your head lol
BOOM
Israel is literally my 40th out of 40 this year, but I still hope they make it to Turin. It is a repeat of Romania 2016, extremely unfair to the artists. If Ukraine can send their national selection performance to Turin, why can’t Israel?
If not he can be back with a better song next year… just like Eden Elene
Feker Libi was one of the best songs of 2020 though
That’s true but Set Me Free was better than Feker Libi, according to Eden at least and I personally agree with her : )
They know their song is rubbish and won’t qualify, so they’re taking the easy way out
Why waste his time and energy travelling to Turin when his awful song is not going to qualify anyway. It truly is a terrible song, his voice when he half sings half talks in the beginning makes me cringe. Save yourself the embarrassment
Well he considers his song good that’s why he is performing and wants to go
Because he is proud of himself his song and representing his country
Glass half-full: this would probably avoid them their first NQ in years.
If they got over the consecutive daylight robbery in 2013 and 2014, they can get over any result in 2022. This is about security. I hope they manage it.
2013 is debatable. In 2014, the live performance was atrocious and she could barely sustain a note. That was not a robbery, just a logical result.
I believe they’ll find a solution for this, and this announcement by KAN was made in order to ruffle some feathers and bring the issue to the attention of the people responsible in the Foreign Ministry. There’s probably too much feet dragging and KAN just want to expedite the eventual resolution by making an “outrageous” announcement.
Yea probably. That is likely why KAN11 did not mention the L.O.T so that the dramatic announcement may cause some people to rile up and hopefully push the strike of the FM to an end.
IDK how efficient that is but we will see. Still 3 weeks left, could be worse TBH.
As an Israeli, I feel pretty confident saying this is only an act of public flexing. This is how these things are normally being solved, sprinkle a little bit of threat and noise and a dash of public pressure . A solution will be found.
This is a summary of EuroMix’s (Israel’s ESC journalist site) post about this whole ordeal. In an exclusion conversation between EuroMix & KAN 11: “Over the past two weeks we are trying to contact the foreign ministry to find a solution, however the only response we got is that they cannot help as the office is still on strike. The office turned us to an expectations committee however they were also unable to assist us. We then turned to the General Security Agency but the also told us they are unable to provide us with security due to the strike”… Read more »
Why is Israel worried about security? At least, why this particular year is it a problem? I cannot find anything on it.
Israel is always extremely worried about security, it’s Israel dude lol.
It’s a problem this year because of the strike in the Foreign Ministry, which wasn’t the case in any other year. Notice when Netta is making her way from the Green Room to the stage after winning, she’s accompanied by two solemn Israeli security men.
Israelis are always at risk to be targeted by terrorist group and security is a must. Sad but true.
Exactly. It’s a constant thing and we’re kinda used to it.
Become in the last two week 15 Israelis were murdered in Israel and another one in the USA…
i hope it’s true.
I think what will happen is that they will compete with live-on-tape performance. Although this is not the first time they create unnecesary drama, remember 2017 and spokesperson” will Israel be back next year..
And why is the foreign ministry involved?
The Foreign ministry is on strike so security cannot be provided to the Israeli delegation to ESC. If the strikes continues, Israel will use a LOT or withdraw.
The Israeli delegation are trying to contact anyone you can contact really but they always get the same answer “Strike so no security” Michael has said he has high hopes things will turn out ok and he is still working on his performance of I.M
But can’t he get security elsewhere? Why Foreign ministry?
That wasn’t a drama… Israel switched broadcaster and in that time no one knew if Israel will be back…
But the way he said it
He really made an episode out of it
He was talking for like a minute or two
It was the way he said it, with dramatic pauses and all. As if he was dying or something.
Imagine Serbia performing Second in Semi :O …
I didn’t care that Serbia got a bad running order slot cus they’re qualifying anyway. They will advance from any position. They might win the public vote if not the entire contest.
If a song is strong enough, it’s position does not matter and Serbia’s entry is very strong IMO : )
Running order draws matter if you’re a borderline Q.
The Serbian song has no chance of winning. It is not even a song, but a manifesto about local problems. Musically and vocally, it is at an average level. The second point is politics. Serbia is on the criminal side of Russia. I cannot imagine a country cooperating with Putin winning Eurovision.
Not the entire contest but yes there is a possibility they win on semi 2 ( a very small one)
I think Spain will win the televote of the final
Spain could but I think Ana or Subwoolfer are more likely to win the public vote.
They might finish last too 🙂 Its too divisive 🙁
Who? Serbia?? Last? No chance. I used to think Serbia is more of a wildcard but I only think that’s the case with the jury, I really think Serbia’s public backing will be large but we shall see, we shall see.
Funniest comment I’ve seen all day. I can surely imagine the whole continent will vote for some rando woman staring into your soul washing her hands. First-time viewers are going to blank on this, and there’s a lot of them
Out of all the comments on this thread mine is the funniest? Really gurl? lol. Anyhow it’s just a current bold prediction. I just wanna get to may already!! :3
That was in my predicting running order
And Israel was first
I thought they will open with Israel as well but they picked Finland which might actually not be that good for the Rasmus.
Same for me lol haha
they will qualify anyway
Not sure 🙁
It is the season of messiness. First, in June 2021 we found out Belarus was banned from the Eurovision in 2022 and onwards. Then the drama of Ukraine with Alina kicked in. Then Russia started the war against Ukraine and Russia was expelled from the EBU. Kalush, who took the place to represent Ukraine from Alina, was invited to do his job and go to the frontline. Now Israel is playing the card “Gimme Su-gah”, which is not their first card this season as they were trying to create fuss previously stating Michael is likely to drop out because of… Read more »
This year’s viewing figures will decrease a lot.. 2021 had 183M considering songs were generally acceptably good , and the hype was also strong.
This year it doesn’t give that energy , competition is weak and already 7M Russian viewers gone
What on god’s green earth does that have to do with anything?
Some people just put worthless comments every once in a while, I am sure we will hear from Doris on here soon. Probably coming in with something so moronic we will all get strokes.
Shouldn’t be allowed to use the live on tape performance. The recorded versions are a backstop for covid, not manufactured bs or drama from a broadcaster.
A strike is preventing Israel from getting security to travel with them to Torino….This is not “drama from a broadcaster”
But why do they need a security? Can’t they just hire someone?
they need national security from the FM because they are responsible for the hiring and because Israelis are always at risk for being targeted by terrorist especially on such events ,for example the terrorist attack that happened at the 1972 Olympics in which a few Israelis were murdered (don’t remember how many)
Eleven.
Live on tape was not created for corona only. Its for all circumstances a delegation can’t make it
Even Ukraine managed to participate.
Different scenarios.