Israel said on Thursday, March 7, its entry "Hurricane" had been approved for the popular Eurovision Song Contest, appearing to end a dispute over political content. The European Broadcasting Union informed Israeli public broadcaster Kan that the song, performed by 20-year-old Russian-Israeli singer Eden Golan, was being given the green light "after discussing the lyrics of the song... and listening to its performance", Kan said in a statement.
In late February Israel said it would not take part in the competition if organizers rejected its entries – "October Rain" and "Dance Forever" – which reportedly referenced victims of Hamas's October 7 attack on southern Israel that triggered the ongoing war in Gaza. Eurovision rules ban political content.
Then, on Sunday, Israel said it had asked lyricists to revise its proposed entry. One line from the original lyrics of "October Rain" read: "They were all good children, every one of them." "There is no air left to breathe, There is no place for me," the song ends, according to Kan, which published the lyrics in full on its website. "Hurricane" features the same music as "October Rain" but has different lyrics, Kan said.
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. Organizers also gave US pop icon Madonna a ticking off after her dancers flouted political neutrality rules by wearing Israeli and Palestinian flags on their costumes.