Eurovision Was Traditionally a Campy Joy – However It Has Evolved Into a Cynical Way to Sanitize Conflict.
A freshly coined term came to light a few months following the onset of the military campaign against Gaza. Known as WCNSF, it means “Child casualty without any family left”. This designation is unique to Gaza, according to medical experts including paediatricians. Ordinarily, it is unusual for doctors to care for a child who has lost their complete family. Yet, there has been no semblance of normality regarding the widespread destruction in Gaza, where complete genealogies have been obliterated and the number of children who have lost limbs exceeds that of anywhere else in the world. Nothing normal about many doctors arriving back from a sea of ruins with testimonies of children being intentionally shot at.
An Unimaginable Crisis In Spite Of a Supposed Ceasefire
The Gaza Strip continues to be hell on earth. Critical healthcare resources are not getting in those in need, and major human rights organizations contend that atrocities are continuing. The Israeli government has denied these allegations, consistent with how it refutes everything it is accused of. Yet as young survivors are now freezing in improvised encampments, there is a little heartwarming news: nothing is going to stop the Eurovision song contest from continuing with its declared purpose of “unity and artistic sharing.” Organizers will continue to extend a blood-red carpet for Israel, although a number of European countries have now withdrawn in objection. And this, apparently, is what international harmony resembles.
The contest, notably prohibited Russia from taking part in 2022 due to the “grave situation in Ukraine”. But the crisis in Gaza appears to be treated differently.
A Selective Vision
Overlook the circumstance that Israel was criticized for questionable voting tactics last year in what seems to have been an attempt to inject politics into Eurovision. Ignore the report that a toddler was reportedly killed in Gaza just days ago. Forget the fact that aggression from Israeli settlers and coerced removal in the West Bank have surged. Overlook the situation that international journalists are still blocked from unfettered access in Gaza. None of this, apparently, should be seen as a barrier of Eurovision’s cherished spirit of unity.
The Show Goes On Amidst Staggering Tragedy
Eurovision reaches its seventieth anniversary next year – almost double the projected longevity of a person in Gaza today. The show may go on, but it will find it impossible to reclaim the whimsical pleasure it was formerly known for. A competition that was originally built on peace has devolved into a blatant mechanism to whitewash war.
