“October rain”.
The reference leaves little room for doubt.
The song proposed by Israel for the Eurovision contest, organized on May 11 in Malmö, Sweden, directly echoes the attacks committed by Hamas on October 7.
But this choice could lead to the disqualification of the Jewish state from the event, according to the Israeli site YNet.
Eurovision regulations prohibit any political message in the songs presented during this pan-European show.
Eden Golan has won 'HaKokhav HaBa' and will represent Israel at #Eurovision2024 🇮🇱 pic.twitter.com/hwi2KWFHtg
— Eurovision Song Contest (@Eurovision) February 6, 2024
According to the LPHinfo site, the song, still unknown to the public and which must be performed by Eden Golan, a young 20-year-old artist, includes the following lyrics mainly in English:
"Hours and more hours and flowers
Life is not a game for the faint-hearted
Why does the weather go crazy?
Every day I lose my mind
Holding on to this mysterious journey
Dancing in the storm
We have nothing to hide
Take me home
Leave the world behind
And I promise you that never again
I'm still wet from the October rain
October rain"
The last three phrases of "October rain", on the other hand, are sung in Hebrew:
"There's no more air to breathe
No room, no me from day to day
They were all good kids, every single one of them.”
“
We will not change the lyrics”
A spokesperson for the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which validates the texts, confirmed to the Huffington Post that an analysis of this text was underway: “The EBU is currently examining the lyrics. (…) If a song is deemed unacceptable for any reason, broadcasters then have the option to submit a new song or lyrics in accordance with the competition rules.”
Even if the decision is unfavorable, Israel has already indicated that the country will retain this title.
“We will not change the lyrics or the song, even at the cost of Israel not participating in Eurovision this year
,
” Israeli public broadcaster Kan declared.
Faced with the controversy, Israeli Minister of Culture and Sports Miki Zohar also stepped up to defend this song: “The EBU's intention to disqualify the Israeli song from Eurovision is scandalous. a moving song that expresses the feelings of the people and the country today and it is not political
,
" he wrote on not let politics influence art.”
- רייתית.
השיר של ישראל אותו תבצע עדן גולן הוא שיר מרגש, שמביא לידי ביטוי את רח שי העם והמדינה בימים אלה, ואינו פוליטי.
— Miki Zohar מיקי זוהר (@zoharm7) February 21, 2024
As the New York Times recalls, the EBU has already intervened to modify songs proposed for Eurovision.
In 2009, the song selected by Georgia was rejected because it contained a reference to Vladimir Putin, then Russian Prime Minister.
In 2015, Armenia also had to change the title of its song "Don't Deny" to "Face the Shadow" due to its obvious reference to Turkey's refusal to recognize the Armenian genocide.
Calls for the exclusion of Israel
This controversy comes on top of calls to ban Israel from participating in the war in Gaza, triggered by the attack of unprecedented scale launched on October 7 by Hamas in Israel from Palestinian territory.
As described by Times Of Israel, an association representing Icelandic artists (FTT) asked local broadcaster RUV not to participate in Eurovision unless Israel was excluded.
In January, 1,400 Finnish musicians and industry professionals also signed a petition calling for Israel's exclusion from the competition.
Questioned by AFP on this subject, the EBU, which brings together the competition's broadcasters, reiterated on Thursday February 15 the clarification made at the end of January by its general director, Noel Curran.
“Comparisons between wars and conflicts are complex and difficult and, as an apolitical media organization, it is not our role to make them,” the latter explained at the time.
He then indicated that the EBU was "aware" of the many voices being raised to exclude Israel from the competition this year.
"However, the Eurovision Song Contest is a non-political musical event and a competition between public service broadcasters that are members of the EBU. It is not a competition between governments," noted the Director General.
In the case of Israel, "our governing bodies...agreed that the Israeli public broadcaster Kan met all competition rules for this year and could participate as it has over the past 50 last years".
The EBU has already excluded countries in the past.
In 1993, Yugoslavia, then led by Slobodan Milosevic, was banned from Eurovision following UN sanctions linked to the war in the Balkans.
More recently, Russia was also disqualified due to its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. "In Russia's case, Russian broadcasters had been suspended from the EBU due to their continued failure to fulfill their membership obligations and for having violated the values of public service", recalled Noel Curran.
Support from personalities from the artistic world
Under fire from critics, Israel can however count on the support of artists.
British actress Helen Mirren, musician Boy George, Gene Simmons, one of the founders of hard-rock giants Kiss, and more than 400 other celebrities published an open letter on February 14 against these calls for a boycott.
“We were shocked and disappointed to see some members of the entertainment community calling for Israel to be banned from the competition for responding to the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust,” the document read.
Over 400 Entertainment Industry Leaders Rally Behind Israel's Eurovision Inclusion!
Our open letter stands with the contestants and against efforts to politicize the event, emphasizing @Eurovision's power to foster unity through music.https://t.co/WBnrLP3aGr
— Creative Community for Peace (@CCFPeace) February 14, 2024
These personalities recalled the long relationship between Israel, which has won the competition four times, and Eurovision.
They also insisted that “unifying events such as singing competitions are crucial in helping to bridge our cultural divides and uniting people from all backgrounds around their shared love of music.”
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