The song with which Israeli participant Eden Golan wants to compete in the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) in May is said to have already sparked discussions. The Israeli news site “ynet” reported on Wednesday that the organizers had classified the contribution entitled “October Rain” as political and were therefore considering disqualifying it.
According to media reports, the song refers to the massacre by the Islamist Hamas in Israel on October 7th, in which more than 1,200 people were killed. However, the song has not yet been officially presented.
However, Israeli public broadcaster Kan, according to the report, insists that the song’s lyrics will not be changed, even if it costs Israel its participation. The organizer of the competition, the EBU in Geneva, said upon request that it was in the process of checking the text. This process is confidential. All countries would have until March 11th to submit their songs. “If a song is deemed unacceptable for any reason, the broadcasters have the opportunity to submit a new song or lyrics in accordance with the rules of the competition,” the press office said
The ESC organizers had previously spoken out against the exclusion of Israel, which Swedish artists had called for because of the Gaza war. According to them, the event should remain apolitical.
The ESC final will take place on May 11th in Malmö. The 68th ESC is taking place in Sweden this year after singer Loreen won last year’s competition in Liverpool with the song “Tattoo” for the Scandinavian country. At the beginning of December, the EBU published a list of 37 participating broadcasters – including Kan from Israel.
