Today, Israeli broadcaster Kan made a statement about withdrawal from the Eurovision Song Contest. While Eden Golan was chosen to represent the country, it might be the song that causes a withdrawal. The song, “October rain”, is on investigation by the EBU; one of the rules of the contest is that no politics are allowed in the lyrics.
To the Huffington post, an EBU spokesperson said: The EBU is currently in the process of scrutinising the lyrics, a process which is confidential between the EBU and the broadcaster until a final decision has been taken. All broadcasters have until 11 March to formally submit their entries.If a song is deemed unacceptable for any reason, broadcasters are then given the opportunity to submit a new song or new lyrics, as per the rules of the Contest.
This is the statement Kan published in response to “October rain” being investigated:
It should be noted that as far as the Israel Broadcasting Corporation is concerned, there is no intention to replace the song. Meaning, if it is not approved by the European Broadcasting Union – Israel will not be able to participate in the competition that will be held in Sweden this coming May.
