Israel has agreed to revise the lyrics of its potential entry for the Eurovision Song Contest after contest organisers raised concerns about the lyrics, which allegedly refer to the 7 October Hamas attack on Israel.
Source. This was reported by Reuters.
Eurovision, which will be held this year on 7-11 May in the Swedish city of Malmö, considers itself a non-political event and may disqualify participants who violate this rule.
The Israeli song is the ballad "October Rain" performed by singer Eden Golan.
The lyrics include lines such as "No air to breathe" and "They were all good children, every single one of them" – obvious references to the people who hid in shelters as Hamas gunmen carried out murders and kidnappings at the open-air music festival and elsewhere.
The writers of "October Rain" and the runner-up "Dance Forever" were asked to revise their lyrics while maintaining creative freedom. He will then officially select a song to send to the Eurovision Committee.
The Israeli broadcaster said it had agreed to make the changes following instructions from President Isaac Herzog.
"The president stressed that at this time, particularly when those who hate us are trying to push us away and boycott the state of Israel from all stages, Israel must sound proud, raise its head high and raise its flag at every world event, especially this year," Kahn said.
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