Eurovision Used to Be a Lighthearted Spectacle – However It Has Transformed Into a Cynical Way to Whitewash War.

An recent initialism surfaced a couple of months after the start of the military campaign against Gaza. Referred to as WCNSF, it means “Injured child with no living relatives”. This term is specific to Gaza, as stated by medical experts like paediatricians. Typically, it is rare for doctors to care for a minor who has lost their entire family. However, there has been absolutely nothing ordinary concerning the genocide in Gaza, where whole bloodlines have been wiped out and the number of children who have lost limbs exceeds that of any other place in the world. Nothing ordinary about many doctors coming back from a devastated terrain with testimonies of children being deliberately targeted.

A Living Nightmare In Spite Of a Reported Truce

The Gaza Strip continues to be a profound humanitarian disaster. Essential medical supplies are failing to reach those in need, and major human rights organizations assert that violations are ongoing. The Israeli government has denied these claims, just as it disavows everything it is charged with. But while young survivors are now suffering from the cold in temporary shelters, there is a little heartwarming news: apparently nothing is going to stop the Eurovision from continuing with its professed goal of “togetherness and cultural exchange.” Eurovision will continue to extend a prestigious stage for Israel, although several European countries have now pulled out in protest. And this, we are told, is what international harmony resembles.

Historically, Eurovision banned Russia from competing in 2022 over the “unprecedented crisis in Ukraine”. But the crisis in Gaza is completely different.

Contradictory Principles

Overlook the circumstance that Israel was accused of questionable voting tactics last year in what could be seen as an effort to inject politics into Eurovision. Set aside the news that a three-year-old girl was reportedly killed in Gaza recently. Pay no mind to the evidence that settler violence and systematic expulsions in the West Bank have increased dramatically. Disregard the condition that global media are still blocked from unfettered access in Gaza. This entire context, apparently, should be allowed to get in the way of Eurovision’s much-touted ethos of unity.

The Contest Continues While Ignoring Unimaginable Suffering

Eurovision turns 70 next year – roughly two times the average life expectancy of someone in Gaza now. The event will proceed, but it will never be able to restore the camp joy it once represented. A competition that was originally built on harmony has now become a cynical way to whitewash war.