ISRAEL’S EUROVISION ENTRY, which was scrutinised after claims that it had a political message, has been deemed eligible to compete in the song contest.
The song, originally called “October Rain”, has been renamed “Hurricane”.
Some suggested that the entry, which is mostly in English with some Hebrew words, references the victims of Hamas’s 7 October attack on southern Israel.
The Eurovision rules ban political statements.
In a statement, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) confirmed that the official submission from the Israeli broadcaster Kan has been deemed eligible to compete.
“The Contest’s Reference Group, its governing board, made the decision to accept the song ‘Hurricane’ for the upcoming competition after careful scrutiny of the lyrics,” a spokesperson for the union said.
“It was agreed that ‘Hurricane’ met the necessary criteria for participation in accordance with the rules of the competition.”
The song is performed by Russian-Israeli singer, Eden Golan, who was selected via a TV talent show after performing a cover of Aerosmith’s Don’t Want to Miss a Thing in the finale. The performance was dedicated to the remaining hostages taken by Hamas during the 7 October raids, and she performed the song surrounded on stage by empty chairs.
The song has yet to be released but KAN confirmed the original name of the entry last month.
The country had threatened to pull out of the competition if “October Rain” was not given the green light, with the Israel Broadcasting Authority saying it has no intention of replacing the song.
The Eurovision Song Contest 2024 will be held in May in Malmo, Sweden.
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