Noam Bettan Qualifies for Eurovision Final

Noam Bettan qualified for Saturday's Eurovision grand final after performing his song 'Michelle' in the semi-final on Tuesday night at Vienna's Wiener Stadthalle. The 28-year-old Israeli contestant told Reuters he heard booing as he took the stage on May 13 2026. Audience members chanted 'stop the genocide' during the performance.

One audience member had 'Free Palestine' written across his chest and was removed, according to BBC News. Four audience members were removed from the arena for disruptive behaviour, the EBU and ORF stated. One audience member loudly expressed their views close to a microphone as Noam Bettan began his performance, the same statement said.

Bettan told the BBC he was surprised by the protests and experienced a 'wow effect' and 'a little bit of shock'. He told Reuters: "I heard, first of all, in the beginning, a lot of booing, and it's fine. It's part of the thing.

Bettan said he looked for Israeli flags and that they gave him strength. He told the BBC he looked for the flags of the people who love him and that this carried him through the performance. The song's lyrics include a Hebrew section meaning 'There's always someone listening', Bettan said.

He told the BBC he found the Hebrew lyric moment emotional and was proud to represent his country. Bettan said he had received a warm welcome in Vienna despite being accompanied by armed guards. Bettan practised being booed during preparations but said you cannot really prepare for 13,000 people booing.

He asked fans on social media to use all 10 of their votes for Israel. Eurovision organisers rebuked him, saying the voting post was not in the spirit of the competition and demanded it be deleted. The EBU issued a formal warning to Israel's broadcaster Kan.

Bettan told the BBC he had not been aware of the guidelines and had erased the post. Eurovision director Martin Green told the BBC: "We're a long way from any of that. " Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland and Slovenia are boycotting the 2026 Eurovision contest.

Irish broadcaster RTÉ said Ireland's involvement was unconscionable given the appalling loss of lives in Gaza. Dutch broadcaster Avrotros said the Netherlands' participation was incompatible with their public values. Israeli broadcaster Kan described the absences as a cultural boycott which harms freedom of creation and freedom of expression.

Amnesty International said the EBU had betrayed humanity by allowing Israel to compete. Austria's broadcaster ORF stated it will not ban Palestinian flags or censor audience booing. The Hamas-led attack on southern Israel occurred on 7 October 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage.

More than 72,740 people have been killed in Gaza according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry. Last year's Eurovision contest drew around 166 million viewers according to the EBU. The 2026 contest is in its 70th year.