Eden Golan will perform “Hurricane” at the competition in Malmo, Sweden, in May. The approved song has the same melody as “October Rain,” which was rejected.
Israel has already agreed to revise the lyrics of its potential submission to the song contest after EBU took issue with verses that appeared to reference Hamas' October 7 attack.
KAN will change the lyrics to Israel's 2024 Eurovision song submission, "October Rain," and its runner-up "Dance Forever" in order to allow the country to participate in the song contest.
The first-choice song, “October Rain,” was not approved by the EBU, reportedly because it contained a direct reference to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
"We talked about Public Diplomacy and I think it's important for Israel to appear in Eurovision, and this is also a statement because there are haters who try to expel us from every stage,” he added.
The Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation, Kan, clarified that Israel had no intention of changing the lyrics.
Actress Helen Mirren, who portrayed former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir in the 2023 film “Golda,” was among the 400+ signatories.
Eden Golan, whose family moved from Israel to Russia when she was six and moved back here two years ago, already has a professional career abroad.
Eurovision Luxembourg congratulated Golergant, stating, “We extend our heartfelt congratulations to [Golergant] and wish them continued success on their journey ahead.”
Despite the controversy, Israel is still placing high in the preliminary betting charts, a widely watched measure of likely success in the competition.
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