Eurovision Was Once a Whimsical Delight – Yet It Has Become a Cynical Way to Whitewash War.

An recent term surfaced a couple of months following the onset of Israel’s bombardment of Gaza. Referred to as WCNSF, it signifies “Injured child with no living relatives”. This term is found only in Gaza, as stated by health professionals including paediatricians. Normally, it is rare for physicians to care for a young patient who has been bereaved of their entire family. However, there has been no semblance of normality about the widespread destruction in Gaza, where complete genealogies have been obliterated and the number of children who have lost limbs exceeds that of any other place in the world. Nothing ordinary about many doctors returning from a sea of ruins with reports of children being deliberately targeted.

A Hell on Earth Despite a Supposed Ceasefire

The Gaza Strip continues to be an utter catastrophe. Essential medical supplies are failing to reach those in need, and groups like Amnesty International contend that genocidal acts are ongoing. Officials disputes these accusations, just as it disavows all charges it is charged with. Yet as grieving children who lost parents are now enduring frigid conditions in makeshift tent camps, there is some ostensibly positive news: nothing is going to stop the international singing competition from continuing with its professed goal of “unity and cultural exchange.” The contest will continue to extend a prestigious stage for Israel, even though a number of European countries have now withdrawn in objection. And this, it seems, is what unity resembles.

Eurovision, of course excluded Russia from participating in 2022 over the “grave situation in Ukraine”. But the crisis in Gaza seems treated differently.

A Double Standard

Forget the fact that Israel was accused of questionable voting tactics last year in what could be seen as an attempt to manipulate Eurovision. Set aside the news that a young child was reportedly killed in Gaza just days ago. Forget the fact that aggression from Israeli settlers and forced displacement in the West Bank have increased dramatically. Overlook the situation that foreign reporters are still prevented from unfettered access in Gaza. This entire context, it would seem, should be allowed to get in the way of Eurovision’s cherished spirit of unity.

The Contest Continues While Ignoring Staggering Tragedy

Eurovision marks seven decades next year – almost double the current lifespan of an individual in Gaza now. The show may go on, but it will never be able to restore the whimsical pleasure it once represented. A contest that initially championed togetherness has transformed into a transparent instrument to whitewash war.