Israel officially advanced to the Eurovision Grand Final on Tuesday night after competing in the contest's first semi-final held in Vienna. Noam Bettan, representing Israel, was tenth in the order with his entry, "Michelle."
The song, written by Tslil Klifi, Nadav Aharoni, and Yuval Raphael who represented Israel in last year’s competition, was performed by Bettan in three different languages.
At the beginning of the performance, anti-Israel chants were heard from the audience in an attempt to disrupt Batten's singing. Among others, shouts of "Stop Genocide" were heard and Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) flags were waved in the hall, while others waved Israeli flags in response.
Security personnel on-site removed a protester who shouted against Israel during the song.
At the conclusion of his impressive performance, Bettan thanked the audience in two languages. He ended his time on stage with the words: "Toda Raba [Thank you very much], Thank you Europe."
Speaking shortly after stepping off the stage, Bettan said, "I feel incredible. I sang for Israel - it sounds like such a cliché, but I truly sang for Israel. I enjoyed every second. It was amazing, and I thank God for everything."
Joining Israel in the final are Greece, Finland, Belgium, Sweden, Moldova, Croatia, Serbia, Lithuania, and Poland.
The second semi-final is scheduled for Thursday night, with the Grand Final set to take place this coming Saturday night. Israel is currently ranked sixth in the Eurovision betting odds.
A total of 35 countries are competing in this year's contest. Five nations - the Netherlands, Spain, Slovenia, Iceland, and Ireland - withdrew from the competition in protest against Israel's participation.