Israel threatens Eurovision pull-out if entry vetoed

Eurovision Song Contest organisers are scrutinising the Israeli submission after lyrics were reported by media
Eurovision, which will take place on May 7-11 in the Swedish city of Malmo, bills itself as a non-political event

Israel-Gaza war

Agence France-Presse

Published: 2:20am, 26 Feb 2024

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Israel on Sunday warned that it may withdraw from this year’s Eurovision Song Contest if organisers reject the lyrics from its entry as too political.

Eden Golan and her song October Rain were chosen to compete in the annual competition, which is being held in May in Malmo, Sweden.

Media reports have suggested that the song, which is mostly in English with some Hebrew words, refers to the victims of Hamas’ October 7 attack on southern Israel.

That could mean the ballad and its 20-year-old Russian-Israeli singer fall foul of Eurovision rules, which ban political statements.

“They were all good children, every one of them”, says a line from Golan’s song, according to the website of the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (Kan) which published them in full.

“There is no air left to breathe, There is no place for me,” the song ends.

‘Not a contest between governments’: Eurovision rejects Israel ban over Gaza war

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) said only that it was “currently in the process of scrutinising the lyrics” and a final decision had yet to be taken.

“If a song is deemed unacceptable for any reason, broadcasters are then given the opportunity to submit a new song or new lyrics, as per the rules of the Contest,” it added.

Kan said it was “in dialogue” with the EBU about the country’s Eurovision offering before the March 11 entry deadline.

But it stated that the broadcaster has “no intention to replace the song”.

“Meaning, if it is not approved by the European Broadcasting Union, Israel will not be able to participate in the competition,” it added in a statement on Thursday.

Israel’s Noa Kirel placed third in last year’s competition in Liverpool, UK behind Finland’s Kaarija and Sweden’s Loreen.

Madonna performing during a guest appearance at the 64th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest in 2019. File photo: AFP

Loreen’s victory takes the competition back to Sweden, 50 years after ABBA’s victory with Waterloo.

Israel became the first non-European country to enter Eurovision in 1973 and has since won the competition four times, most notably with transgender singer Dana International in 1998.

But its participation and hosting of the event have regularly run into controversy.

In 2019, Icelandic band Hatari, who previously challenged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to a Nordic folk wrestling match, made pro-Palestinian statements during the vote count in Tel Aviv.

Organisers also gave pop queen Madonna a ticking off after her dancers flouted political neutrality rules by wearing Israeli and Palestinian flags on their costumes.

This year’s competition comes against the backdrop of the war, sparked by Hamas’ October 7 attack which resulted in the deaths of around 1,160 people in Israel, according to an Agence France-Presse tally based on official Israeli figures.

The EBU this week rejected calls for Israel to be barred from competing altogether because of the war in Gaza and the civilian casualties.

But the potential for a ban on its entry has caused outrage, with Israel’s culture and sports minister, Miki Zohar, calling the prospect “scandalous”.

Even Israeli President Isaac Herzog waded in, saying he was “trying to help” as much as he could because of the high-profile nature of the show.

Golan’s song was “moving”, he wrote on social media, and “expresses the feelings of the people and the country these days, and is not political”.

“I call on the European Broadcasting Union to continue to act professionally and neutrally, and not to let politics affect art,” he added.