Noam Bettan is ready for the semi-finals of Eurovision 2026. The Israeli representative for Eurovision performed "Michelle" brilliantly in the last rehearsal before the semi-finals Tuesday night.
Lihi Freud, the main dancer who plays the character of Michelle and who was injured in the head by an errant photographer's camera during the judges rehearsal on Monday night, returned to the stage in full form.
Noam Bettan's 'Diamond' train on the Eurovision stage during the last rehearsal before the semi-finals
(צילום: יובל חן)
During the rehearsal, Palestinian flags were seem waving in the audience, something that has been banned in previous years. In December, Austria’s public broadcaster ORF announced that it would not ban Palestinian flags in the audience and would not mute or obscure boos during Israel’s performance. No artificial applause will be added either.
The first semi-final will begin in Vienna at 10 p.m. Israel time Tuesday night, and Bettan is the 10th performer. The judges will award 50% of the points in the semi-final. The second semi-final is set for Thursday, and the grand final will take place on May 16. Each phone in the televote of each night can vote 10 times.
Palestinian flags seen waving in the audience during Israel's rehearsal
(Photo: Daniel Ben Dor)
Bettan, 28, was chosen to represent Israel in the contest after winning the 12th season of “The Next Star” (HaKokhav HaBa). He is performing “Michelle,” an upbeat love song written by Yuval Raphael, Israel’s representative at Eurovision last year, together with Tzlil Klifi and Nadav Aharoni. He will share the stage with a giant prop known as “the diamond,” inside which Bettan opens the song alongside one of the dancers.
The countries competing against Israel’s representative in the first semifinal on Tuesday are Moldova, Sweden, Croatia, Greece, Portugal, Georgia, Finland, Montenegro, Estonia, Belgium, Lithuania, San Marino, Poland and Serbia. In the second semifinal, which will be held two days later, Bulgaria, Azerbaijan, Romania, Luxembourg, Czechia, Armenia, Switzerland, Cyprus, Latvia, Denmark, Australia, Ukraine, Albania, Malta and Norway will compete.