Israel has agreed to revise the lyrics of its potential submission to the Eurovision song contest after organisers took issue with verses that appeared to reference Hamas’s 7 October attack.
The contest, which will take place from 7 to 11 May in the Swedish city of Malmö, can disqualify contestants deemed to have breached its rules on political neutrality. Kan, Israel’s national broadcaster, is tasked with choosing the country’s entry.
The leading Israeli submission is October Rain, a ballad sung by the solo artist Eden Golan.
According to lyrics leaked to the media and later confirmed by Kan, it includes lines such as “There’s no air left to breathe” and “They were all good children, each one of them” – apparent allusions to people who holed up in shelters as Hamas gunmen killed and kidnapped people at an outdoor music festival and other sites, which sparked the war in Gaza.
Kan said it had asked the writers of October Rain and the second-place finalist, Dance Forever, to revise their lyrics while also preserving their artistic freedom. It will then officially choose a song to send the Eurovision committee.
The European Broadcasting Union, which organises Eurovision and had previously said it was in the process of scrutinising the lyrics, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Kan’s decision.
The Israeli broadcaster said it had agreed to make the changes after a request from the country’s president, Isaac Herzog.
“The president emphasised that at this time in particular, when those who hate us seek to push aside and boycott the state of Israel from every stage, Israel must sound its voice with pride and its head high and raise its flag in every world forum, especially this year,” Kan said.
