The Eurovision Song Contest Was Once a Whimsical Delight – Yet It Has Evolved Into a Cynical Way to Gloss Over Warfare.

A freshly coined term surfaced a couple of months following the onset of Israel’s bombardment of Gaza. Referred to as WCNSF, it means “Wounded child, no surviving family”. This term is specific to Gaza, according to medical experts like paediatricians. Normally, it is rare for doctors to treat a young patient who has seen the death of their complete family. Yet, there has been nothing “normal” concerning the widespread destruction in Gaza, where whole bloodlines have been wiped out and the number of child amputees is greater than that of anywhere else in the world. Nothing ordinary about scores of doctors coming back from a landscape of rubble with reports of children being deliberately targeted.

An Unimaginable Crisis Regardless of a Announced Cessation of Hostilities

The Gaza Strip continues to be a profound humanitarian disaster. Critical healthcare resources are not getting in those in need, and groups like Amnesty International contend that genocidal acts are continuing. Officials has denied these allegations, just as it denies everything it is charged with. Yet as grieving children who lost parents are now freezing in temporary shelters, there is some ostensibly positive news: apparently nothing is going to stop the Eurovision from advancing its declared purpose of “togetherness and cultural exchange.” Eurovision will continue to offer a welcoming platform for Israel, although a number of European countries have now pulled out in protest. Because this, it seems, is what global togetherness looks like.

The contest, notably excluded Russia from competing in 2022 due to the “serious conflict in Ukraine”. Yet the conflict in Gaza appears to be completely different.

Contradictory Principles

Overlook the circumstance that Israel was alleged to have used unfair vote practices last year in what appears to have been an attempt to politicise Eurovision. Set aside the news that a three-year-old girl was allegedly fatally struck in Gaza just days ago. Neglect the data that settler violence and coerced removal in the West Bank have surged. Forget the fact that global media are still blocked from freely reporting in Gaza. This entire context, evidently, should be allowed to get in the way of Eurovision’s much-touted ethos of unity.

The Contest Continues Amidst Unimaginable Suffering

The contest turns 70 next year – almost double the current lifespan of a person in Gaza now. The event will proceed, but it will never be able to restore the camp joy it was formerly known for. A contest that was originally built on togetherness has transformed into a cynical way to whitewash war.