Eurovision, which this year will take place on May 7-11 in the Swedish city of Malmö, bills itself as a non-political event and can disqualify contestants deemed to have breached that rule. Broadcaster Kan is tasked with choosing Israel’s entry.
The leading Israeli submission is “October Rain,” a ballad sung by female soloist 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 carried out a killing and kidnapping spree at the Nova outdoor music festival and other sites which sparked the war in Gaza.
The song that came in second and will serve as an alternative entry, “Dance Forever,” also contains references to the Nova festival and has been similarly under the scrutiny of the Eurovision’s organizer, the
European Broadcasting Union (EBU).
The October 7 attack carried out by Hamas, the Islamic terrorist organization that controls the Gaza Strip, resulted in the deaths of about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and the kidnapping of some 240 people, some of them foreign citizens.
Subsequent Israeli retaliatory strikes and ground operations in Gaza, both of which are still ongoing, ostensibly aim at Hamas targets but have also resulted in a staggering reported death toll of more than 30,000 Palestinians, also mostly civilians. At least 90% of more than 2 million Gazans have been forced to leave their homes, and most buildings within the exclave have been damaged.
Kan said it had asked the writers of “October Rain” and “Dance Forever" to revise their lyrics, while also preserving their artistic freedom. It will then officially choose the song to send to the Eurovision Committee. The Israeli broadcaster said it agreed to make the changes following a request from the country’s president,
Isaac Herzog.
“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 said.
The European Broadcasting Union, which organizes Eurovision and has previously said it was in the process of scrutinizing the lyrics, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Kan’s decision.
