Eurovision Used to Be a Whimsical Delight – Yet It Has Transformed Into a Calculated Tool to Gloss Over Warfare.
An freshly coined acronym emerged a few months into Israel’s bombardment of Gaza. Labeled WCNSF, it means “Injured child with no living relatives”. This designation is found only in Gaza, according to health professionals including child health specialists. Typically, it is unusual for doctors to treat a child who has lost their whole family. Yet, there has been absolutely nothing ordinary concerning 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 normal in scores of doctors returning from a sea of ruins with reports of children being deliberately targeted.
A Living Nightmare Despite a Announced Cessation of Hostilities
Gaza remains a profound humanitarian disaster. Vital medicines and equipment are being blocked those in need, and international watchdogs have stated that violations are still being committed. Authorities has denied these claims, consistent with how it denies everything it is charged with. But while traumatised orphans are now suffering from the cold in improvised encampments, there is some ostensibly positive news: nothing is going to stop the Eurovision song contest from pursuing its professed goal of “togetherness and artistic sharing.” Eurovision will continue to offer a prestigious stage for Israel, even though several European countries have now pulled out in protest. And this, apparently, is what international harmony looks like.
Eurovision, of course excluded Russia from participating in 2022 due to the “grave situation in Ukraine”. However, the situation in Gaza appears to be completely different.
Contradictory Principles
Disregard the reality that Israel was criticized for questionable voting tactics last year in what could be seen as an effort to politicise Eurovision. Set aside the news that a toddler was reportedly killed in Gaza just days ago. Pay no mind to the evidence that attacks by settlers and forced displacement in the West Bank have escalated. Overlook the situation that global media are still prevented from independent reporting in Gaza. None of this, it would seem, should be allowed to get in the way of Eurovision’s much-touted ethos of unity.
The Show Goes On While Ignoring Unimaginable Suffering
The contest turns 70 next year – roughly two times the projected longevity of a person in Gaza at present. The event will proceed, but it will likely never recapture the whimsical pleasure it was formerly known for. A competition that was originally built on harmony has now become a blatant mechanism to sanitize military aggression.
