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ESC in Malmö: Israel remains in the race for the trophy (seen here, the 2023 cup)

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Andy Von Pip / ZUMA Press Wire / picture alliance / dpa

Israel has given in in the dispute over its song for this year's Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) - and is now allowed to take part in the competition.

The ESC organizers have approved Israel's revised song, the first version of which they found to be too political, as the participating Israeli television station Kan and the organizers have now announced.

"After carefully examining the text, the competition's reference group, its board, made the decision to accept the song 'Hurricane' for the upcoming competition," said the organizers, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) in Geneva.

The song meets the necessary ESC criteria.

Israeli participant Eden Golan will therefore perform the rewritten song, previously called "October Rain", in Sweden in May.

The 20-year-old was very happy about the news, as can be seen in a video from the public broadcaster.

On Sunday evening, the singer will sing the rewritten song for the first time on Israeli television, as Kan had previously announced.

The song therefore has the same melody as its predecessor “October Rain”, which was too political for the organizers.

According to media reports, the song refers to the massacre by the Islamist Hamas in Israel on October 7th.

Terrorists from Hamas and other extremist groups murdered around 1,200 people and abducted another 250 to the Gaza Strip.

The song's lyrics originally said, among other things: "Writer of history, stand by me" and "there is no more room to breathe."

There is no space."

The EBU found it too political.

According to Kan, the new version is about a young woman who has gone through a personal crisis.

The station, which is one of the broadcasters participating in the ESC, has not yet published the text.

“Hurricane” was reportedly recorded on March 3rd.

Change also at the request of President Herzog

According to a statement, the broadcaster also responded to a request from Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who had therefore contacted the broadcaster's board of directors, by changing the content.

Israel must raise its voice at a time when those who hated the country were trying to exclude and boycott it, Herzog argued for his country's participation in the ESC, according to a statement from the broadcaster.

The broadcaster Kan initially announced that it did not want to edit the text, but then reversed its decision.

Otherwise, this could have cost Israel participation in the ESC.

The song “October Rain,” now called “Hurricane,” is the station’s first choice for the competition.

However, the ESC organizers also rejected the song “Dance Forever,” which Kan had also submitted and came second in the Israeli ESC preliminary round, as too political.

“Difference of opinion”

In a statement, the Israeli broadcaster spoke of a "difference of opinion with the position of the European Broadcasting Union."

Accordingly, the authors of both songs were contacted and asked to adapt them “while maintaining full artistic freedom”.

The current year is different and special, said singer Eden Golan, according to Israeli media.

“We are dealing with things that we have not dealt with in recent years.” It is more important than ever for her to represent her country with pride.

Artists demanded exclusion from Israel

Swedish artists, among others, had called for Israel to be excluded from the ESC because of the Gaza war.

Israel responded to Hamas' terror with massive bombings and a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip.

According to the Hamas-controlled health authority, around 30,000 Palestinians have been killed so far.

The organizers rejected Israel's exclusion from the competition.

The country has already won the ESC four times.

aeh/dpa