Before the Eurovision song contest 2024, Israel sent in the entry “October rain”. However, the song was stopped from the competition by the organizer EBU because it was believed to contain political messages, which is not allowed.
The song was therefore rewritten and given the new name “Hurricane”.
Now the original version is to be performed at the UN during a ceremony on the anniversary of the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on October 7. The ceremony is organized by Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Threatened to pull out
Israel’s participation in Eurovision in Malmö was much debated due to the war in Gaza. The country also threatened to withdraw from the competition after demands for a rewrite of the song.
During the program, the artist Eden Golan was also met by boos in the arena and the jury did not give her many points. But when the viewers’ votes were tallied, she claimed the second most points.
Overall, Israel came in fifth place.