European Publishing Union may remove Israel from next edition of magazine Eurovision Song Contest. The manager of the European festival did not accept the song ‘October Rain’ chosen by the Israeli delegation Claims to have political connections in the lyrics, according to various media outlets in the Hebrew country.
To be more precise, as many Israeli portals report, the text of this issue written in English and Hebrew, Referring to terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas It took place in southern Israel on 7 October, so its title translated into Spanish would be ‘October Rain’.
The Israeli participant of Eurovision, KAN television, He admitted that he was “in dialogue with the EBU” about the songAlthough he is not willing to change his candidacy in the European competition. “We have no intention of changing the song,” the public broadcaster says on its website, leaving the door open for Israel to not participate.
“intention European Union It is scandalous that the broadcasting industry disqualified the Israeli song from Eurovision. The Israeli song performed by Eden Golan is a non-political, touching song that expresses the feelings of the people and the country these days. I request that the European Broadcasting Union continue to act in a professional and impartial manner and not allow politics to influence the arts,” Israeli Minister of Education and Culture Miki Zohar said in a statement made by KAN itself.
The EBU’s rejection of the Israeli song comes after several months in which it defended the “apolitical” nature of the music festival. In fact, in the midst of the war in the Gaza Strip, the European Television Union Always defended Israel’s participation in Eurovision 2024He ensured that their situation would be “significantly different” from that of Russia, who was expelled in 2022 when the invasion of Ukraine began.
“We understand the concerns and deep beliefs regarding the current conflict in the Middle EastBut we are determined to ensure that the Eurovision Song Contest remains an apolitical event in which artists and broadcast networks compete, not governments,” the EBU said in response to a question from the EFE agency.