Eurovision Used to Be a Campy Joy – But It Has Transformed Into a Cynical Way to Gloss Over Warfare.

An freshly coined acronym came to light a couple of months following the onset of the intensive bombing of Gaza by Israel. Labeled WCNSF, it stands for “Injured child with no living relatives”. This term is found only in Gaza, according to medical experts such as child health specialists. Ordinarily, it is unusual for physicians to treat a minor who has lost their whole family. However, there has been no semblance of normality regarding the genocide in Gaza, where complete genealogies have been eradicated and the number of young amputees exceeds that of any other region in the world. Nothing normal in scores of doctors coming back from a landscape of rubble with accounts of children being systematically aimed at.

A Hell on Earth Despite a Reported Truce

The Gaza Strip continues to be hell on earth. Essential medical supplies are not getting in those in need, and international watchdogs assert that violations are continuing. The Israeli government disputes these accusations, just as it disavows all charges it is charged with. But while young survivors are now suffering from the cold in temporary shelters, there is a piece of uplifting information: apparently nothing is going to stop the Eurovision from pursuing its professed goal of “unity and artistic sharing.” The contest will continue to roll out a prestigious stage for Israel, even though a number of European countries have now withdrawn in objection. Since this, apparently, is what international harmony resembles.

The contest, notably prohibited Russia from competing in 2022 because of the “serious conflict in Ukraine”. Yet the conflict in Gaza is completely different.

Contradictory Principles

Disregard the reality that Israel was alleged to have used irregular participation methods last year in what appears to have been an bid to politicise Eurovision. Ignore the report that a three-year-old girl was reportedly killed in Gaza recently. Neglect the data that settler violence and systematic expulsions in the West Bank have increased dramatically. Forget the fact that international journalists are still blocked from independent reporting in Gaza. None of this, evidently, should be seen as a barrier of Eurovision’s cherished spirit of unity.

The Pageant Proceeds While Ignoring Staggering Tragedy

Eurovision reaches its seventieth anniversary next year – nearly twice the average life expectancy of someone in Gaza at present. The broadcast will air, but it will never be able to restore the pure, unadulterated fun it was formerly known for. An institution that was originally built on peace has transformed into a blatant mechanism to sanitize military aggression.