Eurovision Scrutinizes Israel's Song Lyrics amid Gaza Furor

An Israeli tank maneuvers near the Israel-Gaza border, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, as seen from Israel, February 22, 2024. REUTERS/Susana Vera
An Israeli tank maneuvers near the Israel-Gaza border, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, as seen from Israel, February 22, 2024. REUTERS/Susana Vera
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Eurovision Scrutinizes Israel's Song Lyrics amid Gaza Furor

An Israeli tank maneuvers near the Israel-Gaza border, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, as seen from Israel, February 22, 2024. REUTERS/Susana Vera
An Israeli tank maneuvers near the Israel-Gaza border, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, as seen from Israel, February 22, 2024. REUTERS/Susana Vera

Eurovision Song Contest organizers are scrutinizing the Israeli submission after lyrics leaked to the media appeared to refer to the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas that triggered the Gaza war.

Eurovision, which this year will take place on May 7-11 in the Swedish city of Malmo, bills itself as a non-political event and can disqualify contestants deemed to have breached that rule, Reuters reported.

Israel's entry, "October Rain", is a ballad sung by female soloist Eden Golan.

According to the Israel Hayom newspaper, it includes lines such as "There's no air left to breathe" and "They were all good children, each one of them" - apparent allusions to people who holed up in shelters as Hamas gunmen carried out a killing and kidnapping spree at an outdoor music festival and other sites.

The song also contains a reference to "flowers" which, Israel Hayom said, is military code for war fatalities. A source in national broadcaster Kan, which sponsors the Israeli entry, confirmed to Reuters that the leaked lyrics were accurate.

In a statement, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organizes Eurovision, said it is "in the process of scrutinizing the lyrics, a process which is confidential between the EBU and the broadcaster until a final decision has been taken.

"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," the EBU added.

Kan said it was "in dialogue" with the EBU about the issue.

Israeli Culture Minister Miki Zohar said in a post on X that any decision to disqualify "October Rain" would be "scandalous".

He denied that the song is political, saying it "gives voice to the feelings of the people and the country nowadays".



Latest Tests Show Seine Water Quality Was Substandard When Paris Mayor Took a Dip

 Boats carrying members of delegations sail along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. (AFP)
Boats carrying members of delegations sail along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. (AFP)
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Latest Tests Show Seine Water Quality Was Substandard When Paris Mayor Took a Dip

 Boats carrying members of delegations sail along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. (AFP)
Boats carrying members of delegations sail along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. (AFP)

Tests results released Friday showed the water quality in the River Seine was slightly below the standards needed to authorize swimming — just as the Paris Olympics start.

Heavy rain during the opening ceremony revived concerns over whether the long-polluted waterway will be clean enough to host swimming competitions, since water quality is deeply linked with the weather in the French capital.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo took a highly publicized dip last week in a bid to ease fears. The Seine will be used for marathon swimming and triathlon.

Daily water quality tests measure levels of fecal bacteria known as E. coli.

Tests by monitoring group Eau de Paris show that at the Bras Marie, E. coli levels were then above the safe limit of 900 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters determined by European rules on June 17, when the mayor took a dip.

The site reached a value of 985 on the day the mayor swam with Paris 2024 chief Tony Estanguet and the top government official for the Paris region, Marc Guillaume, joined her, along with swimmers from local swimming clubs.

At two other measuring points further downstream, the results were below the threshold.

The statement by Paris City Hall and the prefecture of the Paris region noted that water quality last week was in line with European rules six days out of seven on the site which is to host the Olympic swimming competitions.

It noted that "the flow of the Seine is highly unstable due to regular rainfall episodes and remains more than twice the usual flow in summer," explaining fluctuating test results.

Swimming in the Seine has been banned for over a century. Since 2015, organizers have invested $1.5 billion to prepare the Seine for the Olympics and to ensure Parisians have a cleaner river after the Games. The plan included constructing a giant underground water storage basin in central Paris, renovating sewer infrastructure, and upgrading wastewater treatment plants.