The Eurovision Song Contest Used to Be a Campy Joy – Yet It Has Become a Calculated Tool to Sanitize Conflict.

A recent term surfaced a few months following the onset of Israel’s bombardment of Gaza. Labeled WCNSF, it signifies “Wounded child, no surviving family”. This acronym is unique to Gaza, according to doctors like paediatricians. Typically, it is rare for medical staff to care for a young patient who has seen the death of their entire family. Yet, there has been absolutely nothing ordinary concerning the genocide in Gaza, where complete genealogies have been eradicated and the number of child amputees exceeds that of any other place in the world. No sense of normalcy in many doctors returning from a landscape of rubble with accounts of children being intentionally shot at.

An Unimaginable Crisis Regardless of a Supposed Ceasefire

The Gaza Strip continues to be hell on earth. Vital medicines and equipment are being blocked those in need, and groups like Amnesty International contend that genocidal acts are ongoing. Authorities disputes these allegations, consistent with how it disavows all charges it is charged with. But while grieving children who lost parents are now suffering from the cold in makeshift tent camps, there is some ostensibly positive news: nothing is going to stop the Eurovision from pursuing its professed goal of “unity and cultural exchange.” The contest will continue to roll out a blood-red carpet for Israel, even though at least four European countries have now boycotted in dissent. Because this, we are told, is what global togetherness looks like.

The contest, notably excluded Russia from participating in 2022 over the “serious conflict in Ukraine”. However, the situation in Gaza is completely different.

A Selective Vision

Overlook the circumstance that Israel was criticized for questionable voting tactics last year in what could be seen as an bid to inject politics into Eurovision. Ignore the report that a toddler was reportedly killed in Gaza just days ago. Forget the fact that settler violence and systematic expulsions in the West Bank have surged. Forget the fact that global media are still prevented from unfettered access in Gaza. This entire context, apparently, should be seen as a barrier of Eurovision’s self-proclaimed spirit of unity.

The Contest Continues Amidst Unimaginable Suffering

The contest turns 70 next year – nearly twice the projected longevity of a person in Gaza now. The broadcast will air, but it will never be able to restore the pure, unadulterated fun it was formerly known for. An institution that once promoted peace has devolved into a blatant mechanism to provide a cultural veneer for conflict.