Noam Bettan strode confidently onto the stage at the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna on Saturday night, after a year in which Israel faced an unprecedented campaign to ban it from the competition, and gave a brilliant performance of the song, “Michelle,” winning over an audience which sang along, and coming in second overall. Poland's jury gave Israel 12 points. Israel received 123 points from the national juries, a strong showing compared to last year, and received 220 points from the audience, putting it briefly in first place during the reading of the results, which elicited some boos from the audience.
The winning song was "Bangaranga" by DARA from Bulgaria, and "Eclipse" by Delta Goodrem of Australia came in third place.
It was a triumphant finish in the song contest for Israel in a year filled with boos and boycotts, when many European governments, broadcasters, and artists did all they could to stop Israel from sending a performer.
Bettan reveled in achieving a second flawless performance, after the first one in the semifinal. During the time between his final performance and the announcement of the winner, he told KAN 11, “Wow, wow, wow. That was crazy, I felt more emotional than the previous times… I felt good, I felt I gave 100% in real time, it was crazy, it was fun, we’re done now… I love you, Am Israel Chai!”
Israel has been a major player in Eurovision since it began taking part in 1973, and has won four times, in 1978, 1979, 1998, and 2018. But this year, five countries – Spain, Slovenia, the Netherlands, Ireland, and Iceland -- decided that because of the war against Hamas that began on October 7, 2023 and ended with a ceasefire and the release of all the living hostages in October 2025, Israel should be booted from Eurovision.
They demanded that the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the body that oversees the song contest, vote at its general assembly on whether Israel could continue to participate. The EBU declined to vote but instead instituted several changes to the rules which made it harder for Israel to do well. The most significant change was that the semifinals, which had previously been determined by audience voting, would be judged half by the audience and half by the national juries. The national juries are far less sympathetic to Israel. Last year, for example, Israel’s contestant Yuval Raphael won the audience voting with 297 points but received only 60 from the juries.
Other rule changes included that audience members could vote only 10 times, not 20, and strict controls on media campaigns, since many in Europe seemed convinced that an Internet campaign sponsored by the Israeli government was the deciding factor in Raphael’s audience-vote win, rather than because people simply liked the song.
This year, the delegation from KAN, the Israeli public broadcaster which sponsors Israel’s participation in the song contest, received a reprimand from Martin Green, Eurovision’s managing director, over some social media posts promoting Bettan. It may seem absurd that in a flashy extravaganza in which millions are spent and earned (it costs almost one Euro for every vote cast), it is forbidden to promote artists on social media, but that’s Europe in 2026, when it comes to Israel. Media campaigns for contestants from other countries, both this year and last year, went unremarked upon.
But in the end, all of that was just background noise and the only sound worth listening to was Bettan’s singing, and the only images that will linger will be Bettan standing tall, indifferent to the scattered boos, surrounded by five beautiful dancers, who strutted around the eye-catching revolving diamond in the center of the stage. The talents of all who put together the performance for KAN were on display here, and it was a number that combined melodious singing, polished and sexy dancing, and elaborate stagecraft that fit right in with the spirit of Eurovision.
During the previous two years since the war began, Israel’s songs, “Hurricane” in 2024 sung by Eden Golan and “New Day Will Rise” in 2025 by Raphael, a survivor of the killings at the Nova Music Festival, referenced the Hamas massacre which took 1200 lives on a single day, and looked wistfully to a better future while honoring the memories of those who were lost. But “Michelle,” by Bettan, Raphael, Tzlil Klifi, and Nadav Aharoni, is a fun up-tempo pop tune, sung masterfully by Bettan in English, French, and Hebrew, about a beautiful but maddening young woman. The song announces, through its lyrics and staging, that Israelis still live normal lives in the midst of nearly three years of war, and that it is time once again to think of romance and young love.
Bettan, with his diffident smile and soft voice, exemplified a certain kind of Israeli masculinity, with a neatly trimmed beard and mustache, dressed like a typical Tel Aviv hipster in black leather. But Bettan, the son of French immigrants to Israel, who was raised in Ra’anana, also has a traditional side, and was photographed in Vienna praying and saying the Friday night kiddush prayer. He is the image of the best Israel has to offer, and he seemed to mean every word of “Michelle”’s very catchy lyrics about a tormented love story.
While at age 28, he has eight years of experience as a performer, nothing could possibly prepare anyone for the pressure he faced as the public face of Israel in Europe in 2026. But he sailed through the multiple gauntlets placed in his way by hostile factions in the Eurovision community with flying colors. For his calm and grace in the midst of a very intense storm, he has earned our gratitude. We can all be proud of the way he conducted himself, and of his talent.
Speaking to KAN 11’s Amit Harari before the final, he said, “I feel good, I’m excited, I’m relaxed at the moment.”
There was a large anti-Israel protest in Vienna’s main square on Friday, which coincided with Nakba Day, on which some Palestinians protest the establishment of the state of Israel, and again on Saturday. Ynet reported that hundreds of protesters attended the protest, which was billed as a "concert against genocide," with a motto against Israel’s participation in Eurovision: "Song Protest - No Stage for Genocide." Anti-Israel musician Roger Waters was reportedly involved in organizing the protest.
But fans turned out to support Israel as well, and these included former Culture Club frontman Boy George, who performed with San Marino's Senhit this year. They did not make it to the final, but Boy George posed for photos with Bettan and sent messages of encouragement to him.
Eurovision broadcast flashy and nostalgic
The Eurovision broadcast was filled with the traditional mix of flash and nostalgia. Hosted by television presenter and singer Victoria Swarovski (and heiress to the Swarovski jewelry brand fortune) and Austrian actor and screenwriter Michael Ostrowski, it featured appearances by many past participants, including Alexander Ryback and Lordi. During the time the votes were being tallied, there was a video interview with American-Jewish music icon Billy Joel about the inspiration behind his hit song, "Vienna," which was then performed by Austrian singer and Eurovision veteran César Sampson. Mentalist Lior Suchard announced the results of Israel's jury, which gave 12 points to Australia's Delta Goodrem for her song, "Eclipse."
Before taking the stage on Saturday night, Bettan received a video greeting for Gal Gadot, who told him not to let the booing rattle him: “They don’t have any power over you… You’re amazing and you’re talented and we’re all behind you, waiting for you to go on tonight.”
Loud boos were heard during Bettan’s rehearsal on Saturday, and he told KAN 11 that they were “the loudest I ever heard.” But he said that there were many fans who cheered him on, “And we’re doing it for them.” And for us.