Eurovision Used to Be a Lighthearted Spectacle – However It Has Become a Calculated Tool to Whitewash War.

An freshly coined term came to light a few months into the military campaign against Gaza. Labeled WCNSF, it means “Wounded child, no surviving family”. This designation is found only in Gaza, according to medical experts including paediatricians. Normally, it is uncommon for doctors to attend to a child who has been bereaved of their complete family. But, there has been nothing “normal” about the genocide in Gaza, where complete genealogies have been wiped out and the number of children who have lost limbs exceeds that of anywhere else in the world. No sense of normalcy in many doctors returning from a landscape of rubble with accounts of children being intentionally shot at.

An Unimaginable Crisis In Spite Of a Announced Cessation of Hostilities

Gaza remains hell on earth. Critical healthcare resources are failing to reach those in need, and international watchdogs have stated that genocidal acts are still being committed. The Israeli government rejects these claims, just as it refutes each claim it is accused of. But while traumatised orphans are now enduring frigid conditions in makeshift tent camps, there is some ostensibly positive news: apparently nothing is going to stop the international singing competition from pursuing its stated mission of “unity and artistic sharing.” Eurovision will continue to offer a welcoming platform for Israel, although at least four European countries have now withdrawn in objection. And this, it seems, is what unity resembles.

Historically, Eurovision prohibited Russia from taking part in 2022 due to the “serious conflict in Ukraine”. But the crisis in Gaza seems treated differently.

A Selective Vision

Forget the fact that Israel was alleged to have used unfair vote practices last year in what appears to have been an bid to manipulate Eurovision. Forget the fact that a toddler was reportedly killed in Gaza just days ago. Forget the fact that attacks by settlers and systematic expulsions in the West Bank have escalated. Overlook the situation that international journalists are still prevented from unfettered access in Gaza. All of this, apparently, should be allowed to get in the way of Eurovision’s much-touted ethos of unity.

The Contest Continues Against a Backdrop of Staggering Tragedy

Eurovision marks seven decades next year – nearly twice the projected longevity of an individual in Gaza at present. The event will proceed, but it will likely never recapture the pure, unadulterated fun it was formerly known for. A competition that initially championed togetherness has now become a blatant mechanism to provide a cultural veneer for conflict.