Eurovision Was Traditionally a Campy Joy – But It Has Evolved Into a Strategic Method to Whitewash War.
An recent term came to light several months after the start of the intensive bombing of Gaza by Israel. Labeled WCNSF, it stands for “Injured child with no living relatives”. This acronym is found only in Gaza, per insights from health professionals like paediatricians. Typically, it is rare for doctors to care for a minor who has been bereaved of their complete family. Yet, there has been nothing “normal” about the genocide in Gaza, where complete genealogies have been eradicated and the number of children who have lost limbs exceeds that of any other place in the world. No sense of normalcy about scores of doctors arriving back from a landscape of rubble with reports of children being systematically aimed at.
A Living Nightmare Despite a Announced Cessation of Hostilities
The Gaza Strip continues to be hell on earth. Vital medicines and equipment are not getting in those in need, and major human rights organizations have stated that violations are still being committed. Officials disputes these accusations, consistent with how it disavows everything it is implicated in. Yet as grieving children who lost parents are now freezing in improvised encampments, there is a piece of uplifting information: apparently nothing is going to stop the Eurovision song contest from advancing its professed goal of “unity and artistic sharing.” Eurovision will continue to roll out a welcoming platform for Israel, although a number of European countries have now withdrawn in objection. And this, apparently, is what international harmony resembles.
The contest, notably excluded Russia from taking part in 2022 due to the “grave situation in Ukraine”. However, the situation in Gaza is completely different.
A Double Standard
Overlook the circumstance that Israel was alleged to have used irregular participation methods last year in what could be seen as an effort to inject politics into Eurovision. Set aside the news that a three-year-old girl was allegedly fatally struck in Gaza just days ago. Neglect the data that aggression from Israeli settlers and coerced removal in the West Bank have increased dramatically. Forget the fact 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 Unimaginable Suffering
The contest turns 70 next year – roughly two times the current lifespan of someone in Gaza at present. The broadcast will air, but it will find it impossible to reclaim the camp joy it historically embodied. A contest that initially championed harmony has devolved into a cynical way to provide a cultural veneer for conflict.
