One thousand Swedish musicians signed an open letter requesting that Israel be barred from competing.
By Vered Weiss, World Israel News
Israeli singer Eden Golan’s song was disqualified by Eurovision for the second time because it, like the first entry, was deemed “too political.”
After the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) rejected Eden Golan’s first entry entitled “October Rain” because it allegedly violated the contest’s guidelines on political subject matter, her second entry, “Dance Forever” has been disqualified for the same reason.
This happened following a controversy over Israel being allowed to compete at all. One thousand Swedish musicians signed an open letter requesting that Israel be barred from competing because of the ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza.
After it was ruled by the EBU that Israel would be allowed to compete, musicians from Ireland, Finland, and Iceland made similar petitions that Israel should be banned from the contest.
The EBU objected to Eden Golan’s song “October Rain” over the following lyrics:
“There’s no air left to breathe / No place, no me from day to day.”
“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 song ends with a soft whisper “They were all good children, each and every one of them.”
Following the submission of this entry, the EBU insisted Golan must alter the lyrics or be barred from competing.
Instead, Golan entered a second song, but the EBU once again objected because of the following lyrics:
“Hope doesn’t stop, it just spreads its wings, “It’s like a million stars that suddenly light up in the sky.”
Following the rejection of “October Rain” as “too political” Israeli Culture Minister Miki Zohar sent the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) a letter.
Zohar wrote, “As you know, the State of Israel is experiencing one of the most difficult and complex periods since its establishment. We lost our loved ones, and there are women, men, and children who are still held captive by a terrorist organization.”
Despite Zohar’s letter, the EBU did not relent on their decision.