Pro-Palestinian supporters wave flags and carry placards throughout a march in central Stockholm final month through which demonstrators demanded Israel be excluded from the Eurovision Song Contest.

Fredrik Persson/TT News Agency/AFP through Getty Images

cover caption

toggle caption

Fredrik Persson/TT News Agency/AFP through Getty Images

Pro-Palestinian supporters wave flags and carry placards throughout a march in central Stockholm final month through which demonstrators demanded Israel be excluded from the Eurovision Song Contest.

Fredrik Persson/TT News Agency/AFP through Getty Images

TEL AVIV, Israel – After addressing objections to its title and lyrics, Israel’s revised entry for this yr’s Eurovision music contest in Stockholm was scheduled to be unveiled Sunday in a broadcast on Israeli tv.

The music, carried out by Eden Golan, has been renamed “Hurricane” after its authentic lyrics and music title, “October Rain,” attracted criticism and controversy for showing to discuss with the Oct. 7 Hamas-led assault on Israel, through which Israel says greater than 1,200 folks have been killed and 240 taken hostage.

The lyrics — which initially included the strains “Hours and hours and flowers/Life is no game for the cowards” — at the moment are a part of a romantic ballad with lyrics corresponding to “Dancing in the storm, I got nothing to hide/Take it out and leave the world behind/Baby, promise me you hold me again/I’m still taken from this hurricane.”

Amid the battle in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, a number of international locations taking part in Eurovision, together with Iceland and Finland, had beforehand known as for boycotts resulting from Israel’s participation, however in the end relented and can participate on this yr’s competitors.

The European Broadcasting Union, which oversees the competitors, initially disqualified “October Rain” after figuring out that it contained political references. But it modified course this previous week, saying that “after careful scrutiny,” it had determined to permit Israel to take part on this yr’s Eurovision, which it known as “a competition of broadcasters and not of governments.”

Israel’s public broadcaster, Kan, which is chargeable for choosing the nation’s official music entry, first insisted that it could protect the unique lyrics. However, Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, pressured the broadcaster to permit modifications. During a Feb. 25 speech, Herzog famous the significance of Israel’s participation in Eurovision, watched by lots of of hundreds of thousands of followers all over the world.

“I think our participation in Eurovision is very important. I supported the president’s view that believed our non-participation could lead to non-participation in other sporting and cultural events as well,” stated Yoav Tzafir, the director and producer of Israel’s delegation to Eurovision.

“However, we had a red line,” Tzafir added. “We were not willing to send a shallow pop song. We changed the lyrics, but the song remains a powerful and moving ballad that speaks of heartache. Personal heartache, but a song that Israelis can also relate to this year.”

Israel, which started taking part within the Eurovision contest in 1973, has gained the competitors 4 occasions, most not too long ago in 2018. The competitors is beloved by Israelis, who make it one of many most-watched broadcasts yearly.

According to odds tables, which search to foretell the winners of the competitors, Israel is at the moment ranked eighth out of 37 taking part international locations. However, that place could change with the revealing of the revised music.

When requested if the unique music was political, as claimed by the European Broadcasting Union, Tzafir stated, “The original song was not political in my eyes. It did include the word October; if that bothered them, then we solved it. We stand fully behind the song that was approved and believe in its chances to excel in the competition.”