The Eurovision Song Contest Used to Be a Whimsical Delight – However It Has Become a Cynical Way to Whitewash War.

An new acronym came to light a few months following the onset of the intensive bombing of Gaza by Israel. Known as WCNSF, it stands for “Child casualty without any family left”. This designation is unique to Gaza, according to doctors such as child health specialists. Typically, it is unusual for doctors to treat a child who has been bereaved of their whole family. However, there has been absolutely nothing ordinary about the widespread destruction in Gaza, where whole bloodlines have been wiped out and the number of children who have lost limbs surpasses that of any other place in the world. Nothing ordinary in scores of doctors returning from a devastated terrain with accounts of children being intentionally shot at.

An Unimaginable Crisis Regardless of a Reported Truce

Conditions in Gaza persist as hell on earth. Vital medicines and equipment are failing to reach those in need, and international watchdogs contend that atrocities are ongoing. The Israeli government has denied these allegations, consistent with how it disavows each claim it is charged with. Meanwhile, while traumatised orphans are now freezing in makeshift tent camps, there is some ostensibly positive news: apparently nothing is going to stop the international singing competition from advancing its professed goal of “togetherness and cultural exchange.” Eurovision will continue to roll out a welcoming platform for Israel, despite the fact that at least four European countries have now boycotted in dissent. And this, we are told, is what unity manifests as.

Eurovision, of course excluded Russia from competing in 2022 because of the “grave situation in Ukraine”. But the crisis in Gaza is treated differently.

Contradictory Principles

Overlook the circumstance that Israel was alleged to have used questionable voting tactics 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 just days ago. Neglect the data that attacks by settlers and systematic expulsions in the West Bank have escalated. Overlook the situation that international journalists are still blocked from independent reporting in Gaza. None of this, apparently, should be seen as a barrier of Eurovision’s self-proclaimed spirit of unity.

The Show Goes On Amidst Unimaginable Suffering

Eurovision turns 70 next year – roughly two times the projected longevity of someone in Gaza now. The show may go on, but it will likely never recapture the pure, unadulterated fun it once represented. An institution that was originally built on peace has now become a blatant mechanism to whitewash war.