After the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) disqualified the song “October Rain”, which was selected by Israel for the Eurovision Song Contest, due to the fact that it contained political messages, Ran Boker of Ynet reported on Wednesday that an alternative song that was sent for EBU examination was also disqualified for the same reason.
Sources said that the song was ready to be sent to the EBU as it came in second during the selection process of the Israeli expert committee. After the disqualification of the first song, some thought that the best choice was to switch to option B, which has now been disqualified as well.
The full lyrics of the song, which were written by Israeli representative Eden Golan, include the Hebrew lines "Hope doesn't stop, it just spreads its wings, "It's like a million stars that suddenly light up in the sky."
Last week, an EBU official notified an Israeli official that if the lyrics to "October Rain" are not altered, it will be disqualified.
The EBU told the Israeli official that the decision whether to change the lyrics or not is solely in the hands of the Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation and made clear that if the lyrics were not altered, Israel would not participate in the competition.
The lyrics of “October Rain” provoked anti-Israel reactions that flooded social media. In Ireland, Finland and Iceland there were those who called for Israel to be removed from the competition and boycotted, which apparently led the EBU to disqualify the song.
Minister of Culture and Sports Miki Zohar said last week, "The European Broadcasting Union's intention to disqualify the Israeli song for Eurovision is scandalous. Israel's song that 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."
"We all hope that Eurovision will remain a musical and cultural event and not a political arena - where the participating countries can bring their uniqueness and nationalism to the stage through music. I call on the European Broadcasting Union to continue to act professionally and neutrally, and not let politics influence art," he added.