Israel’s Noam Bettan, who lit up the first semifinal of Eurovision 2026 in Vienna on Tuesday night with his song “Michelle,” has earned a spot in Saturday’s grand final. Bettan received applause for his performance, alongside boos and whistles, and chants of ‘genocide’.
In addition to Israel, Greece, Finland, Belgium, Sweden, Moldova, Serbia, Croatia, Lithuania and Poland will move to the final on Saturday night.
Bettan performed 10th in the lineup, facing competition from 14 other countries battling for 10 spots in the final. Ahead of the show, Israel was ranked sixth in the betting tables, while Finland and Greece were considered the leading favorites to win the competition this year. The second semifinal will take place Thursday.
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Noam Bettan in the Eurovision semi-final
(Photo: Screenshot EBU)
“I heard the boos at the beginning,” Bettan told the delegation. “They were really, really loud. But I focused on the performance.” After leaving the stage, he added, “I searched with my eyes for Israeli flags in the audience. It strengthened me.”
Israeli delegation chief Yoav Tzafir gave his first response to Bettan’s performance, telling ynet: “The reactions were excellent, it was a perfect performance. We are proud of Noam, the country’s diamond. Noam didn’t let the boos get to him. He is a true professional.”
Noam Bettan in the first semi-final
(Video: Courtesy of Kan, the Israel Broadcasting Corporation and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU))
Israelis also watched the broadcast at the Eurovision Village in central Vienna. “People from other countries were singing the words by heart,” one Israeli fan said. “Everyone around us sang with us. There was great support, not one boo. Everyone sang ‘Michelle.’ It was amazing.”
The performance came after a tense and dramatic 24 hours for the Israeli delegation. During Monday night’s jury rehearsal — which determines half of the final score — Israeli dancer Lihi Freud was injured after an Austrian production cameraman accidentally struck her in the head with his camera. The Israeli delegation also complained about a staging malfunction during the performance and passed its concerns to the production team.
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Noam Bettan in the Eutovision semi-final
(Photo: Screenshot EBU)
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(Photo: Tobias Schwarz / AFP)
This year’s Eurovision is being held in Austria after Austrian singer JJ won the 2025 contest with “Wasted Love.” Israel, represented last year by Yuval Raphael and “New Day Will Rise,” finished in second place.
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Israeli and Palestinian flags wave during Noam Bettan’s performance
(Photo: Yuval Chen )
Against that backdrop, Vienna police imposed heavy security measures around the event following reports of planned pro-Palestinian demonstrations. Authorities banned protests near the arena and prohibited signs or materials deemed to violate Eurovision’s “nonpolitical” character inside the venue. Austrian police also assigned two elite units to secure the Israeli delegation.
Earlier Tuesday, during the final rehearsal before the live semifinal, Palestinian flags were seen waving in the crowd for the first time while Bettan was performing onstage.
First published: 23:07, 05.12.26