Israel warned on Sunday that it could pull out of this year's Eurovision Song Contest if organizers decide the country's singer's lyrics are too political.
Eden Golan and her song "October Rain" have been selected to represent Israel at the annual competition, which will be held in Malmö in May. The song, performed in English, has some words in Hebrew as well.
A few days ago, there were reports that the song commemorates the victims of the October 7 attack on southern Israel by Hamas. In that case, the song would not comply with Eurovision's rule prohibiting political statements.
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has informed that it is currently "carefully examining the lyrics" and has not yet made a final decision.
"If a song is deemed unacceptable for any reason, broadcasters are given the opportunity to submit a new song or new lyrics as provided in the competition rules," the EBU added.
The organization has already rejected calls to ban Israel from the contest because of the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip, so the news of the possible ban of the song's lyrics has sparked outrage in Israel. The country's Minister of Culture and Sports Mikis Zohar called such a prospect "scandalous".
The minister wrote on social media that Golan's song is "moving" and "expresses the feelings of the nation and the country these days, it is not political."
Israel's national broadcaster (KAN) said it was in "dialogue" with the EBU and stressed that it had no plans to change the song.
"This means that if the European Broadcasting Union does not approve it, Israel will not be able to participate in the competition," KAN said.
Israel first appeared in Eurovision in 1973. and has won this competition four times, although the country's participation and the organization of the event do not avoid moments that cause controversial discussions.
In 1998, Dana International, a transgender singer representing Israel, won the Eurovision Song Contest.
in 2019 the Icelandic group Hatari challenged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to a Nordic folk wrestling match, then expressed a pro-Palestinian stance in Tel Aviv as the contest's scores were tallied.
The organizers also condemned the queen of pop music Madonna, who performed at the competition, whose dancers defied the rules of political neutrality and decorated their costumes with Israeli and Palestinian flags.
Justina Vaišvilaitė-Braziulienė (AFP)
