The European Broadcasting Union could expel Israel from the next edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. The person in charge of the European festival has not accepted ‘October Rain’, the song chosen by the Israeli delegation alleging that he has political connections in its lyrics, according to various media outlets in the Hebrew country.

To be more exact, as several Israeli portals report, the text of this topic, written in English and Hebrew, refers to the terrorist attacks that Hamas It took place in the south of Israel on October 7, hence its title, which translated into Spanish would be ‘October Rain’.

For its part, KAN television, an Israeli participant in Eurovision, has admitted that “he is in dialogue with the EBU” about the song, although she is not willing to modify her candidacy in the European competition. “There is no intention to replace the song,” the public channel says on its website, leaving the door open to Israel’s non-participation.

The intention of the European Union of Broadcasting to disqualify the Israeli song for Eurovision is scandalous. Israel’s song, which will be performed by Eden Golan, is a moving song that expresses the feelings of the people and the country these days, and is not political. I ask the European Broadcasting Union to continue acting in a professional and neutral manner and not to allow politics to influence art,” said Miki Zohar, Israeli Minister of Education and Culture, in a statement carried by KAN itself.

The EBU’s rejection of the Israeli song comes after several months in which it has defended the “apolitical” nature of the music festival. In fact, in the middle of the war in the Gaza Strip, the European television association has at all times defended Israel’s participation in Eurovision 2024ensuring that their case was “drastically different” from that of Russia, which was expelled in 2022, the year in which the invasion of Ukraine began.

We understand the concerns and deep beliefs about the current conflict in the Middle Eastbut we are committed to ensuring that the Eurovision Song Contest remains an apolitical event, in which artists and broadcast networks compete, not governments,” the EBU said in response to a question from the EFE agency.