Eurovision Was Once a Whimsical Delight – Yet It Has Transformed Into a Cynical Way to Sanitize Conflict.
A recent term surfaced a couple of months following the onset of the military campaign against Gaza. Labeled WCNSF, it stands for “Wounded child, no surviving family”. This term is found only in Gaza, according to health professionals including child health specialists. Normally, it is unusual for physicians to attend to a minor who has seen the death of their whole family. However, there has been absolutely nothing ordinary concerning the genocide in Gaza, where complete genealogies have been obliterated and the number of child amputees exceeds that of any other region in the world. No sense of normalcy about scores of doctors returning from a sea of ruins with accounts of children being deliberately targeted.
A Living Nightmare Despite a Reported Truce
Gaza remains a profound humanitarian disaster. Vital medicines and equipment are failing to reach those in need, and major human rights organizations contend that genocidal acts are ongoing. The Israeli government rejects these allegations, just as it refutes everything it is implicated in. Meanwhile, while grieving children who lost parents 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 cultural exchange.” Organizers will continue to roll out a blood-red carpet for Israel, although several European countries have now withdrawn in objection. Since this, apparently, is what international harmony looks like.
Eurovision, of course excluded Russia from taking part in 2022 due to the “serious conflict in Ukraine”. However, the situation in Gaza is completely different.
A Double Standard
Overlook the circumstance that Israel was accused of unfair vote practices last year in what could be seen as an bid to politicise Eurovision. Forget the fact that a young child was reportedly killed in Gaza recently. Forget the fact that settler violence and coerced removal in the West Bank have surged. Overlook the situation that foreign reporters are still denied freely reporting in Gaza. None of this, it would seem, should be permitted to obstruct of Eurovision’s cherished spirit of unity.
The Show Goes On Against a Backdrop of Profound Human Cost
Eurovision marks seven decades next year – nearly twice the current lifespan of a person in Gaza at present. The event will proceed, but it will likely never recapture the camp joy it was formerly known for. A competition that initially championed harmony has transformed into a transparent instrument to sanitize military aggression.
