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Israel will change the text of its entry for the Eurovision Song Contest. The public broadcaster KAN announced this on Sunday. The country is prepared to remove possible references to politics to guarantee its participation in the song festival.
KAN had previously stated that the country would withdraw if its submission with the current text was not accepted, but in a statement on Sunday it was said that the broadcaster now agrees with the advice of President Isaac Herzog, who “had suggested that the necessary adjustments”.
“KAN has contacted the lyricists of the two selected songs, ‘October Rain’, which was chosen first, and ‘Dance Forever’, which came second, and asked them to adjust the lyrics, while retaining their artistic freedom,” the broadcaster said in a statement.
“October Rain” contains no explicit reference to the deadly terrorist attack by the extremist Palestinian organization Hamas on October 7 in Israel. But according to Israeli media and observers, the text leaves little room for doubt.
Once KAN has received the adjusted lyrics, the broadcaster will choose a song and forward it to the Eurovision Song Contest organizers, who can then approve the Israeli entry, the statement said. KAN will announce its choice on March 10.
Israeli-Russian singer Eden Golan will represent Israel at the festival, which will take place in Malmö, Sweden in May. Several countries are asking to ban Israel in protest against the actions of the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip.
In 1973, Israel became the first non-European country to be admitted to the Eurovision Song Contest. The country won four times.