Israel will modify the lyrics of the song with which it intends to compete at Eurovision 2024 to erase anything that could be perceived as political and thus guarantee its participation, the Israel Broadcasting Corporation (KAN) said on Sunday.
After initially threatening to withdraw if its song was not accepted as is, the public group said in a statement that it had finally sided with Israeli president Isaac Herzog, who "suggested making the necessary adjustments."
"The KAN contacted the songwriters of the two selected songs, 'October Rain', which was chosen first, and 'Dance Forever', which came second, and asked them to readapt the texts, while preserving their artistic freedom," the company continued.
'October Rain' does not explicitly mention the bloody attack carried out by Hamas on 7 October in southern Israel. But according to Israeli media and observers, its lyrics leave no room for doubt.
Once it has received the modified texts, the public broadcaster will "choose the song that will be sent" to the organisers "so that they approve Israel's participation in the contest," added the KAN.
The public group will reveal the chosen song on 10 March. 20-year-old Israeli-Russian singer Eden Golan is due to represent Israel at this year's contest, to be held in May in Malmö, Sweden.
Several countries have called for Israel to be banned from Eurovision in protest at the heavy toll of the war in Gaza.
In 1973, Israel became the first non-European country to be allowed to take part in the Eurovision contest, and has won it four times, including with transgender singer Dana International in 1998.
