But Bettan \u2013 who will be 10th in the lineup in the first semifinal Tuesday night with \u201cMichelle<\/a>\u201d \u2013 wants to put all the noise and drama aside.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m very focused on what I have to do,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m not thinking about anything else, I\u2019m focused on this thing, I\u2019m looking ahead, I\u2019m rehearsing as much as possible. I\u2019m doing everything I can.\u201d<\/p>\n Bettan, 28, was selected earlier this year<\/a> to represent Israel at the 2026 competition after winning the latest season of \u201cHakochav Haba\u201d (Rising Star). The native of Ra\u2019anana, who was born to French immigrant parents, won over viewers with his soulful vocals, charming modesty and magnetic stage presence.<\/p>\n Before winning the reality TV contest Bettan was far from a household name, but he\u2019s not a newcomer to the Israeli music industry. In 2018, he placed third on the music TV competition show \u201cAviv or Eyal,\u201d and subsequently released a number of singles, including \u201cMadame,\u201d \u201cBuba\u201d and \u201cAhavot Leyom Ehad.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve worked very hard for many, many years \u2014 more than eight years of hard work, Sisyphean work \u2014 with my team who has been with me through thick and thin,\u201d Bettan said. \u201cWe learned to stay strong and to lift ourselves up even when things didn\u2019t work.\u201d<\/p>\n Growing up in the \u201cgeneration of the internet, that wants everything now,\u201d Bettan said, he had to learn that \u201csometimes things take time, and there\u2019s a way to build them.\u201d<\/p>\n \t If there\u2019s one thing he\u2019s learned, he said, it\u2019s \u201cdon\u2019t give up on your dreams.\u201d Even if people make fun of you or question you, \u201cat a certain point it will take shape and grow, and suddenly people will start to appreciate it\u2026 Be who you are, completely, and don\u2019t give up on who you are.\u201d<\/p>\n The singer said his appearance on the \u201cHakochav Haba\u201d TV show \u201cI think came at exactly the right time \u2013 I felt ready. I\u2019d been on many stages, in a million studios, I\u2019d put out a lot of music\u2026 it couldn\u2019t have worked out any better.\u201d<\/p>\n Israel can still participate \u2014 for now<\/p>\n Going into the TV show knowing that the top prize was representing Israel at Eurovision, said Bettan, \u201cgave me a huge boost, and I told myself I had to get there.\u201d<\/p>\n Bettan will take to the Eurovision stage next week, representing the country that once again is the source of the biggest controversy at the annual song contest. After pushing for the past two years for Israel to be ousted from the Eurovision due to the war in Gaza, a number of countries forced a vote on the issue last year among European Broadcasting Union members.<\/p>\n But an overwhelming majority<\/a> of EBU members voted in favor of adopting a package of reforms to the contest rather than moving ahead with a direct vote on Israel\u2019s participation, clearing the way for the Kan public broadcaster to remain in the competition.<\/p>\n \t Angry at the result of the vote, Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Slovenia and Iceland quit in protest, leaving just 35 countries<\/a> taking part, the lowest number since 2004.<\/p>\n The adopted reforms<\/a> \u2013 coming after Israel performed exceedingly well in the popular vote in 2024 and 2025, sparking allegations<\/a> of unfair voting practices \u2013 include capping the number of votes per person at 20 instead of 10; reinstating professional juries in the semifinal rounds along with the public vote; \u201cenhanced technical measures\u201d to detect any voter fraud; and \u201cstrengthened safeguards against undue external promotion of entries.\u201d<\/p>\n In addition, contestants and all members of the delegations have been asked to \u201cavoid linking political views to their ESC participation\u201d as well as not to use the contest\u2019s platform \u201cas leverage by making political statements or causing controversies.\u201d<\/p>\n Bettan, who is already in Vienna with the Kan delegation, said his focus is entirely on the music and the performance, and reaching listeners around the world.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/F260121YG16-1024x640.jpg\")
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\n\t\tNoam Bettan, Israel\u2019s Eurovision 2026 singer, poses for a photo in Neve Ilan, near Jerusalem, January 21, 2026. (Yael Abas Guisky\/Flash90)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AFP__20260428__A97J9XA__v1__HighRes__AustriaEntertainmentMusicEsc-1024x640.jpg\")
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\n\t\tThe Eurovision logo is seen during the official opening of the stage at the Wiener Stadthalle prior to the 70th Eurovision Song Contest (ESC), in Vienna, Austria on April 28, 2026. (Joe Klamar \/ AFP)<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/260502_Corinne_Cumming_EBU00164-e1777886539594-1024x640.jpg\")
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