Eurovision Song Contest

Noam Bettan strolls through Israel's musical history in Eurovision trailer

Bettan, who is representing Israel with the upbeat song, was filmed dancing to excerpts from Israel’s four winning Eurovision songs before bursting into a few bars of the 2026 song.

|ByHANNAH BROWN
Noam Bettan, winner of the reality show "The Next Star" poses for a picture after winning the final in Neve Ilan, near Jerusalem, January 21, 2026.
Noam Bettan, Israel's representative for the Eurovision Song Contest 2026, poses in this undated handout photo.

After five countries quit Eurovision over Israel, over 1,000 entertainment figures push back

Over 1,000 entertainment industry leaders sign letter backing Israel’s inclusion in Eurovision, rejecting boycott efforts and emphasizing music’s unifying power.

|ByHANNAH BROWN
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators call for an Irish boycott of the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest if there is Israeli participation, outside RTE Irish public television studios in Dublin, last month.

Spain announces it will not broadcast Eurovision due to Israel’s participation

The Eurovision Fun website reported that Spain’s public broadcaster, RTVE, had announced it would not air the song contest for the first time since the country began participating in 1961.

|ByHANNAH BROWN
Moderator Austrian singer Cesar Sampson holds a draw for Denmark during the draw session for the two semi-final events of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 on stage at the Vienna's city hall in Vienna, Austria, on January 12, 2026.

Danish Eurovision contestant addresses pro-Israel Instagram story backlash

Some countries participating in Eurovision have called for Israel's exclusion from the competition due to the war against Hamas in Gaza, but the EBU declined to put the matter to a vote.

|ByHANNAH BROWN

Eurovision Song Contest oddsmakers predict Israel will win televoting again this year

The Eurovision World website presented the oddsmakers who predict the televoting results separately from the overall results, and according to them, Israel has a 26% chance of topping the televoting.

MARCH 26, 2026ByHANNAH BROWN
People cheer as they watch the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest finals being screened at a community center in Tel Aviv, Israel, on May 17, 2025.

WATCH: 'Michelle,' Israel’s Eurovision song, revealed in a performance by Noam Bettan

The song includes lyrics in Hebrew, French, and English. The lyrics were written by Nadav Aharoni, Tzlil Kalifi, and Yuval Raphael. Aharoni and Kalifi composed the music, and Aharoni is the producer.

MARCH 5, 2026ByHANNAH BROWN
Noam Bettan, winner of the reality show "The Next Star" poses for a picture after winning the final in Neve Ilan, near Jerusalem, January 21, 2026.

Israel announces title of 2026 Eurovision song contest entry: 'Michelle'

"Michelle" will be revealed in full for the first time in a festive broadcast on KAN 11 on March 5.

FEBRUARY 24, 2026ByHANNAH BROWN
Noam Bettan will represent Israel at Eurovision 2026.

Swiss Eurovision winner's trophy shattered while returning to EBU in protest of Israel

Nemo suffered a hand injury shortly after receiving the trophy in 2024 when the notoriously fragile glass trophy broke for the first time.

FEBRUARY 22, 2026ByHANNAH BROWN
Nemo representing Switzerland celebrates after winning during the Grand Final of the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest, in Malmo, Sweden, May 12, 2024.

EBU approves Israel's 2026 Eurovision song after undergoing minor adjustments

Each song undergoes a review process, and EBU officials requested a few minor adjustments for Israel's entry, which the Israeli songwriters agreed to.

FEBRUARY 18, 2026ByHANNAH BROWN
Noam Bettan will represent Israel at Eurovision 2026.

Former Eurovision contestant Yuval Raphael co-writes song selected for this year's submission

Israel’s public broadcaster KAN announced Friday that the song, which was written by Raphael with Nadav Aharoni and Tzlil Klipi, was selected on Friday by its professional committee.

FEBRUARY 6, 2026ByHANNAH BROWN
Yuval Raphael, representing Israel, performs "New Day Will Rise", during the Grand Final of the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest in Basel, Switzerland, May 17, 2025.

Italian broadcast reps. urge inclusion of Palestine in Eurovision 

Only countries with a public broadcaster that is a member of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) participate in Eurovision, and Palestine does not have a public broadcaster.

JANUARY 26, 2026ByHANNAH BROWN
Eurovision 2026 logo

Israel will take part in the first Eurovision semifinal, EBU announces

This year’s Eurovision contest will take place in Austria in May, with the semifinals set for May 12 and May 14 and the finals on May 16.

JANUARY 13, 2026ByHANNAH BROWN
ISRAEL HAS been singled out as no country ever has been before at Eurovision. Here, viewers cheer as they watch this year’s Eurovision Song Contest finals being screened at a community center in Tel Aviv, in May.

Boycotts and rule changes don’t stop Israel topping Eurovision odds

Israel leads Eurovisionworld.com’s early odds with 10%, followed by Sweden 9%, Ukraine 7%, Finland 6%, and Italy 5%.

JANUARY 4, 2026ByHANNAH BROWN
Pro-Palestinian protestors hold a flag and a banner outside the RTE (Radio Telefis Eireann) Irish public service broadcaster television studios as demonstrators call for an Irish boycott of the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest if there is Israeli participation, in Dublin, Ireland, November 1, 2025.

Eurovision host says it won't ban Palestinian flags, drown out boos during Israel's performance

The 70th edition of the contest in May will have just 35 entries, the fewest since 2003, after five national broadcasters said they would boycott the show in protest against Israel's participation.

DECEMBER 16, 2025ByREUTERS
Pro-Palestinian protestors hold a flag and a banner outside the RTE (Radio Telefis Eireann) Irish public service broadcaster television studios as demonstrators call for an Irish boycott of the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest if there is Israeli participation, in Dublin, Ireland, November 1, 2025.