EBU States Israel Can Submit New Song or Lyrics if Current Eurovision Entry Deemed “Unacceptable”

EBU States Israel Can Submit New Song or Lyrics if Current Eurovision Entry Deemed “Unacceptable”

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has recently released a statement that clarifies their stance on Israel’s submission for the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest 2024. According to the EBU, if Israel’s song is deemed “unacceptable” for the competition, the country will be given the opportunity to present a new theme song, or to revise the lyrics of their current submission, in order to comply with the rules of the contest.

This clarification comes in response to recent reports from the Israeli media outlet Yedioth Ahronoth. They suggested that the EBU might disqualify Israel from the Eurovision 2024 contest, scheduled to take place in Malmö, Sweden in May 2024. This speculation was based on the assertion that the lyrics of Israel’s song were deemed to be political in nature.

In a detailed response, EBU sources explained that the organization is currently reviewing the lyrics of the song. However, the specifics of this process remain confidential between the EBU and the participating broadcaster until a final decision is made. They reiterated that all participating stations have until March 11 to formally submit their entries, and that if any song is found to be unsuitable, the concerned stations will be allowed to present a new song or modify their existing lyrics, as per the contest rules.

Despite these developments, Yedioth Ahronoth has reported that Israel has no plans to alter the lyrics or the song ‘October Rain’ by Aden Golan, even if it leads to their disqualification from the Eurovision Song Contest.

Just a week ago, the organisers of the Eurovision Song Contest made it clear that they would not disqualify Israel from the event due to the country’s conflict with Hamas. This stance is consistent with their previous decision to not disqualify Russia due to its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. EBU Director General Noel Koren emphasized in an interview that “comparisons between war and conflict are complex and, as an apolitical media organization, it is not our place to make them. An apolitical musical event is not a competition between governments”.