Eurovision Was Once a Whimsical Delight – But It Has Become a Calculated Tool to Whitewash War.

An freshly coined term emerged a few months into the intensive bombing of Gaza by Israel. Labeled WCNSF, it means “Injured child with no living relatives”. This designation is found only in Gaza, according to doctors such as paediatricians. Normally, it is uncommon for medical staff to attend to a child who has lost their entire family. But, there has been absolutely nothing ordinary about the genocide in Gaza, where entire family lineages have been obliterated and the number of children who have lost limbs exceeds that of any other place in the world. No sense of normalcy in many doctors returning from a landscape of rubble with testimonies of children being deliberately targeted.

A Living Nightmare Despite a Supposed Ceasefire

Conditions in Gaza persist as hell on earth. Vital medicines and equipment are failing to reach those in need, and groups like Amnesty International assert that violations are still being committed. Authorities has denied these claims, just as it denies all charges it is implicated in. But while traumatised orphans are now suffering from the cold in makeshift tent camps, there is a little heartwarming news: nothing is going to stop the Eurovision song contest from pursuing its stated mission of “unity and artistic sharing.” Eurovision will continue to offer a prestigious stage for Israel, although at least four European countries have now pulled out in protest. Because this, we are told, is what unity looks like.

The contest, notably banned Russia from participating in 2022 over the “grave situation in Ukraine”. However, the situation in Gaza is entirely distinct.

A Double Standard

Forget the fact that Israel was accused of unfair vote practices last year in what could be seen as an attempt to politicise Eurovision. Set aside the news that a young child was allegedly fatally struck in Gaza on a recent Sunday. Pay no mind to the evidence that attacks by settlers and forced displacement in the West Bank have escalated. Overlook the situation that foreign reporters are still denied freely reporting in Gaza. This entire context, evidently, should be seen as a barrier of Eurovision’s much-touted ethos of unity.

The Pageant Proceeds Against a Backdrop of Unimaginable Suffering

The contest marks seven decades next year – roughly two times the current lifespan of someone in Gaza today. The broadcast will air, but it will never be able to restore the pure, unadulterated fun it once represented. An institution that once promoted harmony has now become a transparent instrument to whitewash war.