As first reported by Israel Hayom, the Israeli entry for the Eurovision Song Contest is "October Rain," with a clear reference to the horrific events of Oct. 7, resulting in a clash with the organizers over its alleged political message.
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The last three lines of the song, which is mostly sung in English, are in Hebrew, describing the condition of Israeli civilians during the Hamas attack: "There's no air left to breathe / No place, no me from day to day."
The song ends with "They were all good children each one of them" sung in a relatively low voice compared to the rest of the song – a moving and powerful ballad, building up to its climax in the final part. Parts of the song, in English, are as follows:
Evening/Everything is black and white/Who is the fool/ Who told you boys don't cry/Hours and hours/ and flowers/Life is not a game for the cowards.../While time goes by/Every day/I'm losing my mind/Holding on
The description of the situation in Israel throughout the song will likely be the center of the dispute between the Israeli public broadcaster Kan and the European Broadcasting Union, which is the organizer of the event.
In one of the verses, the Israeli contestant Eden Golan will sing the word "flowers". In this context, every Israeli knows that it refers to fallen soldiers in battle as part of IDF slang, but for European viewers, this could not necessarily be political.
If the song is disqualified on the grounds that it violates the rules, there is the possibility that Kan will refuse to amend the text and Israel will not participate in the contest.
In response, it was stated: "The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation (Kan) is in dialogue with the EBU regarding the song that will represent Israel in Eurovision."
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