The Israel delegation has consented to modify the words of their song that they plan to enter into the Eurovision competition, as the organizers expressed concern over lines that seemed to allude to Hamas’s attack on October 7.
The competition, to be held in Malmö, Sweden from May 7 to 11, has the authority to eliminate participants who are found to have violated the regulations regarding political impartiality. The responsibility of selecting Israel’s representative falls upon Kan, the national broadcasting station of Israel.
The top entry representing Israel is October Rain, a slow song performed by solo artist Eden Golan.
According to lyrics leaked to the media and later confirmed by Kan, it includes lines such as “There’s no air left to breathe” and “They were all good children, each one of them” – apparent allusions to people who holed up in shelters as Hamas gunmen killed and kidnapped people at an outdoor music festival and other sites, which sparked the war in Gaza.
According to Kan, they have requested the songwriters of “October Rain” and the second-place finisher, “Dance Forever,” to make revisions to the lyrics while still maintaining their creative freedom. After this, they will make a final decision on which song to submit to the Eurovision committee.
The organization responsible for organizing Eurovision, the European Broadcasting Union, had previously announced that it was reviewing the lyrics. However, they did not immediately provide a comment in response to Kan’s decision.
The Israeli TV network reported that they had accepted to implement the alterations following a petition from the president of the nation, Isaac Herzog.
“The president emphasised 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 said.
Source: theguardian.com
