The Eurovision Song Contest Was Traditionally a Lighthearted Spectacle – However It Has Become a Strategic Method to Sanitize Conflict.

An recent initialism emerged a few months after the start of Israel’s bombardment of Gaza. Referred to as WCNSF, it stands for “Injured child with no living relatives”. This term is found only in Gaza, as stated by medical experts such as paediatricians. Typically, it is unusual for physicians to care for a minor who has lost their whole family. However, there has been nothing “normal” concerning the widespread destruction in Gaza, where entire family lineages have been obliterated and the number of children who have lost limbs is greater than that of anywhere else in the world. No sense of normalcy about scores of doctors arriving back from a landscape of rubble with testimonies of children being deliberately targeted.

A Hell on Earth Regardless of a Announced Cessation of Hostilities

Gaza remains hell on earth. Critical healthcare resources are not getting in those in need, and international watchdogs contend that violations are ongoing. The Israeli government disputes these claims, just as it disavows everything it is accused of. Meanwhile, while grieving children who lost parents are now suffering from the cold in temporary shelters, there is some ostensibly positive news: apparently nothing is going to stop the Eurovision from advancing its professed goal of “unity and artistic sharing.” The contest will continue to offer a welcoming platform for Israel, despite the fact that several European countries have now pulled out in protest. And this, apparently, is what unity manifests as.

Eurovision, of course excluded Russia from competing in 2022 because of the “unprecedented crisis in Ukraine”. But the crisis in Gaza is entirely distinct.

Contradictory Principles

Overlook the circumstance that Israel was accused of unfair vote practices last year in what could be seen as an effort to politicise Eurovision. Ignore the report that a three-year-old girl was reportedly killed in Gaza on a recent Sunday. Neglect the data that aggression from Israeli settlers and coerced removal in the West Bank have escalated. Disregard the condition that international journalists are still denied unfettered access in Gaza. None of this, evidently, should be permitted to obstruct of Eurovision’s cherished spirit of unity.

The Pageant Proceeds Amidst Unimaginable Suffering

Eurovision turns 70 next year – almost double the projected longevity of an individual in Gaza now. The event will proceed, but it will never be able to restore the camp joy it historically embodied. A competition that once promoted togetherness has devolved into a cynical way to sanitize military aggression.