Israel has been admitted to the next edition of the Eurovision Song Contest (scheduled from 7 to 11 May in Malmö, Sweden), but singer Eden Golan will not perform the song “October Rain” , but another song, entitled “Hurricane ”.
The original piece was rejected because it was deemed "unsuitable" , given the references to the Hamas attacks on 7 October 2023 on the Jewish state which triggered the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
The green light from the EBU (the European Broadcasting Union, which organizes the event) was announced by the Israeli broadcasting body Kan , according to which the Eurovision commission «examined the lyrics of the song and listened to the 'execution' and then granting the authorization.
The president of the Jewish state Isaac Herzog also intervened in the matter and, after the controversy, persuaded the Kan to present another song.
From what we learn, the melody of the song will be the same, but the lyrics, rather than evoking the Hamas attacks, will focus on the story of a young woman dealing with a personal crisis.
(Unioneonline/lf)