Israel’s public broadcaster Kan stated on Sunday that the country has decided to change the lyrics of its possible entry for the Eurovision Song Contest after the contest organizers objected to lines that seemed to allude to the attack carried out by Hamas on October 7.
This year’s Eurovision, scheduled for May 7–11 in Malmo, Sweden, describes itself as a non-political event and has the authority to disqualify participants who are found to have broken this rule. It is up to broadcaster Kan to select Israel’s entry.
The most popular Israeli contribution is the song “October Rain,” which is performed by singer Eden Golan.
Linguistics from the song were leaked to the media and later verified by Kan. Lines like “There’s no air left to breathe” and “They were all good children, each one of them” seem to refer to the people who sought refuge while Hamas gunmen massacred and abducted people at an outdoor music festival and other locations that ignited the Gaza War.
Kan stated that it has requested that the authors of “October Rain” and “Dance Forever,” the second-place finalist, modify their lyrics while maintaining their creative liberty. After that, it will formally select the song to transmit to the Eurovision selection committee.
The European Broadcasting Union, the body that oversees Eurovision, has previously declared that it is examining the lyrics.
The Israeli broadcaster announced that it granted the president of the nation, Isaac Herzog,‘s request to implement the modifications.
“The president emphasized that at this time in particular, when those who hate us seek to push aside and boycott the state of Israel from every stage, Israel must sound its voice with pride and its head high and raise its flag in every world forum, especially this year,” Kan stated.
