Tonight at 20:30 CET: Israel’s Eurovision 2026 song “Michelle”, performed by reprasentative Noam Bettan, will be reveald on a special broadcast on KAN. All the details – below!
Tonight, following the evening news, Israel’s national broadcaster KAN will air a special international broadcast revealing Noam Bettan’s Eurovision 2026 entry, “Michelle”. The event will follow an adjusted format due to ongoing regional tensions. Unlike the original plan, the show will take place without a live studio audience, maintaining a more intimate presentation.
Exclusive song and video reveal
Broadcasting from the Neve Ilan studios, Bettan will unveil the official music video for “Michelle”, produced in recent weeks under strict secrecy by his creative team. An exclusive interview with the singer will follow, where he will share his emotions and thoughts ahead of representing his country on the international stage in Vienna, Austria.
A broadcast adapted to the security situation
The show will comply with emergency guidelines issued by Israeli authorities and will be able to connect instantly to the newsroom in Jerusalem for critical updates.
The broadcast will feature performances by Israel’s Eurovision representatives from 2024 and 2025, Eden Golan and Yuval Raphael, who will join Bettan on stage for several songs.
Three of the network’s flagship programs will participate in the special broadcast:
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Roni Kuban will conduct a special “Meeting” segment with Noam Bettan.
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A short new episode of the Israeli loved satire “Kupa Rashit” will humorously focus on Eurovision preparations.
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A special episode of an Israeli comedy series “Tagidu Katzar” will offer a behind-the-scenes look at Bettan’s upcoming musical journey to Vienna.
Eurovision commentators Akiva Novick and Asaf Liberman will also join the broadcast to share their insights throughout the evening.
Who is behind Noam Bettan’s Eurovision song?
Israel’s Eurovision 2026 entry was written by Noam together with Yuval Raphael, Tslil Klifi and Nadav Aharoni – three prominent figures in the Israeli music scene, with Yuval Raphael herself having represented Israel at last year’s contest as a vocalist. Because one of the songwriters is Yuval Raphael, the committee adopted an exceptional measure: the representative of Teddy Productions recused himself from the discussion and vote on this specific song, in order to maintain transparency and avoid any conflict of interest. Noam Joined the composers after the entry selected
Yuval Raphael co‑wrote the song’s lyrics. Last year, she represented Israel at Eurovision with the song “New Day Will Rise” (written by Keren Peles and Tomer Biran), without being involved in its writing. However, her songwriting skills are well known in the industry: in October, she released her EP featuring tracks she helped write, including the songs “Uma Itkha” and “Yidalek HaOr”.
Tslil Klifi co‑wrote both lyrics and composition. Klifi is regarded as one of the most successful and influential songwriters in Israeli pop, with a long list of hits including “Masa” by Eliad Nahum, “Holekhet Itkha” by Narkis, “Bridezilla” by Noa Kirel and more. Klifi also has direct Eurovision experience: in 2020, she wrote “Rakata” for Eden Alene, which placed third in the “HaShir HaBa for Eurovision” selection. In 2022, she contributed to “Marionette”, chosen for Inbal Bibi in the fourth season finale of “X Factor for Eurovision”, where it finished third.
Nadav Aharoni is responsible for the lyrics, composition and musical production of the song. Aharoni has penned numerous major hits, including “Khatzi Meshuga’at” by Nasreen Kadri, “HaBallada LaMekhakot” by Narkis, “Lo Tireh Oti Bokhe” by Eden Hasson and “Bridezilla” by Noa Kirel. He is also the musical producer behind Noam Bettan’s hit “Madame”, a collaboration that will now continue onto the Eurovision Song Contest stage.
How Israel’s Eurovision selection committee worked
Around one month ago, the final of “HaKokhav HaBa for Eurovision” took place, where Noam Bettan won and was chosen to represent Israel at Eurovision 2026, to be held this May in Vienna, Austria.
In parallel to the TV season, the national broadcaster opened a submissions window for songs from December 21st to January 26th. The broadcaster stressed that songs could be submitted in any language, but must include at least a few lines in Hebrew – a requirement that remains in place this year.
The selection committee was chaired by Barak Itzkovich, head of KAN’s music stations. It included senior music editors from the broadcaster, leading professionals from Israel’s music and television industries, and a public representative. Committee members listened to all submitted songs without knowing the identities of their writers, a procedure designed to prevent bias and ensure a strictly professional choice.
The song “Michelle” will be unveiled in a special presentation show on KAN 11 Tonight.
Israel in Eurovision 2026
“Michelle” is the title of the song that Noam Bettan will perform, representing Israel in the first semi-final set to take place on May 12 in Vienna, Austria. The song was written by Noam together with Yuval Rafael, Tzlil Klifi, and Nadav Aharoni. The song is expected to be revealed in early March. Currently, Israel ranks fifth in the Eurovision betting charts.
Eurovision 2026: This will be Israel’s 48th participation in Eurovision. Israel joined the contest in 1973 and has won four times. Its most recent victory was at Eurovision 2018 with the song “Toy”, performed by singer Netta Barzilai.
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