Israel changes title, lyrics of song rejected by Eurovision

ANKARA

Israel announced Sunday that it has revised the title and lyrics of its entry for the Eurovision Song Contest as calls continued for the country’s exclusion from the competition.

It made the change after its original song, October Rain, and a subsequent version were rejected by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) for containing political messages and came after Israeli President Isaac Herzog urged the songwriters to ensure that Israel will take part in the contest.

The song Hurricane is a modified version of the rejected songs and is in compliance with EBU rules, according to Israel’s Haaretz daily.

The decision to modify the song was based on Herzog’s recommendations, the Israeli Public Broadcasting Cooperation (KAN) reported.

The report also said that the modified song will be shared with the public on March 10.

Israel's second submission, Dance Forever, was rejected by the EBU for similar reasons.

Israeli media reported that like October Rain, Dance Forever also made references to the Oct. 7 cross-border attack on Israel by the al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian group Hamas.

*Writing by Esra Tekin in Istanbul