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- By Mark Savage
- BBC music correspondent
Image source, shay franco
Israel will be represented by Eden Golan in this year’s contest.
Israel says it will withdraw from the Eurovision Song Contest if organizers try to censor its entry.
It comes after lyrics to Eden Golan’s October Rain were leaked to the media earlier this week.
According to the Israel Hayom newspaper, the song references the victims of the October 7 Hamas attacks, with lyrics including: “They were all good children, every one of them.”
Eurovision organizer the EBU said it was currently evaluating the song.
The rules of the contest prohibit political messages, in a gesture of neutrality.
In previous years, the EBU forced national representatives to change their letters. In 2009, Georgia withdrew from the contest after its submission, We Don’t Wanna Put In, was rejected for its obvious references to the Russian president.
In a statement about Israel’s entry in 2024, organizers said: “The EBU is currently in the process of scrutinizing the letters, a process that is confidential between the EBU and the broadcaster until a final decision has been made.
“If a song is deemed unacceptable for any reason, broadcasters have the opportunity to feature a new song or new lyrics.”
However, Israel’s public broadcaster KAN said it would reject any request to modify the lyrics.
“It should be noted that, as far as the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation is concerned, there is no intention to replace the song.”
“This means that if it is not approved by the European Broadcasting Union, Israel will not be able to participate in the contest, which will take place in Sweden next May.”
“Scandalous” decision
Described as a “poignant, powerful ballad”, the song is built around the chorus “I’m still wet from this October rain.”
In the verse, Golan sings: “Who told you, boys, not to cry/ Hours and hours/ And flowers/ Life is not a game for cowards.”
The reference to flowers is significant, according to Israel Hayom, as it is military slang for victims of war.
The song then ends in Hebrew: “There’s no air left to breathe/There’s no place/Not me, from day to day.”
KAN said Israel’s culture minister Miki Zohar had contacted the EBU president to request that the panel approve the song.
“In his letter, the minister wrote that Israel is in one of its most complex periods, and that this fact cannot be ignored when choosing a song to represent it,” the station reported.
Image source, fake images
Pop star Noa Kirel took third place for Israel in last year’s song contest in Liverpool
On X, Zohar said it would be “scandalous” to disqualify the song.
“The song of Israel, which will be performed by Eden Golan, is a moving song, which expresses the feelings of the people and the country these days, and is not political,” he added.
“We all hope that Eurovision remains a musical and cultural event and not a political stage, where participating countries can bring their uniqueness and nationalism to the stage through music.
“I call on the European Broadcasting Union to continue to act in a professional and neutral manner and not allow politics to affect art.”
Request disqualification
On the other hand, musicians from other countries participating in Eurovision have called for the suspension of Israel due to the war in Gaza.
In December, the Association of Composers and Lyricists of Iceland published a statement saying that Israel’s military action made its participation incompatible with an event “characterized by joy and optimism.”
Similar protests have arisen in Finland, Norway, Denmark and Sweden, with several pointing out that Russia has been disqualified since its invasion of Ukraine two years ago.
Eurovision organizers have so far resisted calls for Israel’s exclusion, saying the situations in Ukraine and Gaza are different.
“Comparisons between wars and conflicts are complex and difficult and, as a non-political media organization, it is not our place to make them,” Noel Curran, director general of the European Broadcasting Union, said in a statement.
“We understand the deeply held concerns and views surrounding the current conflict in the Middle East,” he said. However, he added, Eurovision “is not a competition between governments.”
“The EBU is aligned with other international organizations, including sports unions and federations and other international bodies, which have similarly maintained their inclusive stance towards Israeli participants in major competitions at this time,” the statement concluded.