Israel agrees to change lyrics for Eurovision Song Contest 2024 that alluded to Hamas attack

Israel has agreed to revise the lyrics of its potential entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 after the organizers of the international contest expressed concerns about the alleged "political context" of the track. The lyrical composition October Rain, with which Edan Golan was supposed to represent the country, contained hints of a Hamas attack that began on October 7.

The European broadcaster announced that it had the right to disqualify the country due to violations of the rules regarding the politicization of the contest songs and performances. However, the Israeli national broadcaster Kan initially refused to change anything, but reconsidered its decision after Israeli President Isaac Herzog appealed to them, Reuters reports.

The lyrics to the song October Rain, which were leaked to the media, include the following lines: "There's no air left to breathe" and "They were all good kids, every single one of them." According to the European Broadcasting Union, these lines, as well as the title of the song, contain obvious references to the events of October 2023, when Hamas militants carried out a series of murders and kidnappings at a music festival and elsewhere in Israel, which eventually led to the war in Gaza.

The European Broadcasting Union, which organizes the Eurovision Song Contest, has previously stated that it carefully examines the lyrics and ensures that all requirements are met. Later, the organizers opposed October Rain's participation in the contest because of its politicized lyrics.

Kan said that it asked the authors of October Rain, as well as Dance Forever, which was an alternative version of Edan Golan, to revise their lyrics while "maintaining creative freedom." After that, the broadcaster will officially select the contest song, which will be sent to the Eurovision Committee.

As we have already noted, the Israeli broadcaster agreed to make the changes only after a request from President Isaac Herzog.

"The president emphasized that at this time, when those who hate us are seeking to push the state of Israel off every stage, Israel should sound proud, with its head held high, and raise its flag at every world forum, especially this year," said representatives of Kan.

As a reminder, Edan Golan has Ukrainian roots on her mother's side, but has lived almost all her life in Moscow. She has a pro-Ukrainian grandfather, but she herself performed in the occupied Crimea as a child.

As OBOZ.UA wrote, the Croatian singer Baby Lasagna, who is currently the main competitor of Ukrainians Alyona Alyona and Jerry Heil in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 bookmakers' ranking, was not supposed to participate in the national selection of his country at all.

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