Israel will participate at Eurovision 2024 after the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) declared that Hurricane, the Israeli entry, has been approved for the competition, Israel's Kan public broadcaster announced on Thursday.
In a statement, Kan said that Eden Golan will perform the new song at the contest held in Malmö, Sweden, in May.
The song, originally titled October Rain, was disqualified by the European broadcaster for its purported political messaging about the October 7 Hamas attack. The new version features the same melody but entirely new lyrics.
The announcement comes two days after a source involved in the details told Ynet "Foreign Ministry officials received indications that the European Broadcasting Union is expected to approve the new song for Eurovision."
After Israel's initial refusal to make any changes to the song, Kan's board decided to comply with the EBU's request to allow changes to October Rain or to replace the song altogether. the decision passed by a majority, paving the way for Israel's participation in the Eurovision Song Contest.
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Following Israel's initial refusal to modify the song, Kan's board ultimately agreed earlier this week to the EBU's request for changes to October Rain or to replace the song altogether, paving the way for the country's participation in this year's edition of the song contest.
Hurricane, which was written by Keren Peles, Avi Ohayon and Stav Beger, will be revealed in full in a live broadcast on Sunday evening on Kan.
"This is a different and unique year, and we're facing challenges we haven't encountered in previous years," said Israeli representative Eden Golan, "It's more important than ever for me to represent my country with honor, and if it happens, I'll work as hard as possible to know that I've done everything I can on my part."