Israel will change the lyrics of the song with which it intends to compete at Eurovision to erase anything that could be perceived as political and thus guarantee its participation, the Israeli Broadcasting Company (KAN) said on Sunday. After initially threatening to withdraw if its song was not accepted as is, the public group said in a statement that it had finally agreed with the opinion of Israeli President Isaac Herzog who “suggested making adjustments required”.
“KAN contacted the lyricists of the two selected songs, ‘October Rain’, which was chosen first, and ‘Dance Forever’, which came second, and asked them to re-adapt the lyrics, while preserving their artistic freedom” , the company continued.
“October Rain” does not explicitly mention the bloody attack carried out by Hamas on October 7 in southern Israel. But according to Israeli media and observers, his words leave no room for doubt. “Dancing in the storm/We’ve got nothing to hide/Take me home/And leave the world behind/And I promise it’ll never happen again/I’m still wet from this October rain/ October rain,” says a verse of this song.
The song revealed on March 10
Once it receives the modified texts, the public broadcasting company “will choose the song that will be sent” to the organizers “so that they approve Israel’s participation in the competition,” KAN added. The public group will reveal the chosen song on March 10. The 20-year-old Israeli-Russian singer, Eden Golan, is to represent Israel in this competition which will take place this year in May in Malmö, Sweden.
Several countries have called for Israel to be banned from Eurovision to protest the heavy toll of the war in Gaza, which began on October 7 after the Hamas attack which resulted in the deaths of at least 1,160 people, according to a count by the ‘AFP produced from official Israeli data.
Israeli military operations carried out in retaliation in the Palestinian territory have left more than 30,400 dead, according to the Hamas Ministry of Health. Israel was the first non-European country to be allowed to participate in the Eurovision song contest in 1973, and has won four times, including with transgender singer Dana International in 1998.