Eurovision Was Traditionally a Whimsical Delight – But It Has Transformed Into a Strategic Method to Sanitize Conflict.
A new acronym came to light several months after the start of Israel’s bombardment of Gaza. Known as WCNSF, it stands for “Wounded child, no surviving family”. This designation is unique to Gaza, according to doctors such as child health specialists. Typically, it is rare for doctors to care for a child who has seen the death of their whole family. However, there has been no semblance of normality 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 about scores of doctors coming back from a sea of ruins with reports of children being intentionally shot at.
A Living Nightmare In Spite Of a Supposed Ceasefire
Conditions in Gaza persist as a profound humanitarian disaster. Essential medical supplies are not getting in those in need, and groups like Amnesty International contend that genocidal acts are ongoing. The Israeli government has denied these accusations, just as it disavows everything it is implicated in. Meanwhile, while young survivors are now enduring frigid conditions in improvised encampments, there is a little heartwarming news: nothing is going to stop the Eurovision song contest from pursuing its declared purpose of “togetherness and artistic sharing.” The contest will continue to extend a blood-red carpet for Israel, although at least four European countries have now withdrawn in objection. Since this, apparently, is what unity resembles.
Eurovision, of course prohibited Russia from competing in 2022 because of the “grave situation in Ukraine”. Yet the conflict in Gaza is treated differently.
A Double Standard
Disregard the reality that Israel was alleged to have used questionable voting tactics last year in what seems to have been an attempt to manipulate Eurovision. Forget the fact that a three-year-old girl was allegedly fatally struck in Gaza recently. Forget the fact that settler violence and systematic expulsions in the West Bank have escalated. Disregard the condition that international journalists are still blocked from freely reporting in Gaza. This entire context, evidently, should be seen as a barrier of Eurovision’s self-proclaimed spirit of unity.
The Contest Continues Amidst Staggering Tragedy
Eurovision reaches its seventieth anniversary next year – roughly two times the current lifespan of someone in Gaza at present. The event will proceed, but it will likely never recapture the camp joy it once represented. A competition that was originally built on peace has transformed into a blatant mechanism to sanitize military aggression.
