🔗 Share this article Eurovision Was Once a Whimsical Delight – But It Has Transformed Into a Calculated Tool to Whitewash War. A freshly coined term surfaced several months following the onset of the intensive bombing of Gaza by Israel. Known as WCNSF, it means “Injured child with no living relatives”. This term is found only in Gaza, as stated by medical experts including child health specialists. Typically, it is unusual for doctors to attend to a minor who has lost their entire family. Yet, there has been nothing “normal” about the genocide in Gaza, where whole bloodlines have been eradicated and the number of children who have lost limbs is greater than that of any other region in the world. No sense of normalcy about many doctors coming back from a landscape of rubble with testimonies of children being intentionally shot at. A Living Nightmare Despite a Supposed Ceasefire Gaza remains a profound humanitarian disaster. Essential medical supplies are failing to reach those in need, and international watchdogs contend that violations are ongoing. Authorities rejects these allegations, just as it denies each claim it is charged with. But while traumatised orphans are now suffering from the cold in temporary shelters, there is a little heartwarming news: nothing is going to stop the Eurovision from continuing with its stated mission of “togetherness and artistic sharing.” The contest will continue to extend a blood-red carpet for Israel, although at least four European countries have now withdrawn in objection. And this, it seems, is what unity resembles. Eurovision, of course excluded Russia from competing in 2022 over the “unprecedented crisis in Ukraine”. Yet the conflict in Gaza appears to be completely different. Contradictory Principles Disregard the reality that Israel was alleged to have used unfair vote practices last year in what appears to have been an effort to politicise Eurovision. Set aside the news that a young child was reportedly killed in Gaza recently. Neglect the data that settler violence and systematic expulsions in the West Bank have escalated. Disregard the condition that foreign reporters are still blocked from unfettered access in Gaza. None of this, evidently, should be allowed to get in the way of Eurovision’s much-touted ethos of unity. The Pageant Proceeds While Ignoring Unimaginable Suffering Eurovision turns 70 next year – nearly twice the projected longevity of an individual in Gaza at present. The show may go on, but it will find it impossible to reclaim the pure, unadulterated fun it historically embodied. An institution that initially championed togetherness has devolved into a transparent instrument to whitewash war.
A freshly coined term surfaced several months following the onset of the intensive bombing of Gaza by Israel. Known as WCNSF, it means “Injured child with no living relatives”. This term is found only in Gaza, as stated by medical experts including child health specialists. Typically, it is unusual for doctors to attend to a minor who has lost their entire family. Yet, there has been nothing “normal” about the genocide in Gaza, where whole bloodlines have been eradicated and the number of children who have lost limbs is greater than that of any other region in the world. No sense of normalcy about many doctors coming back from a landscape of rubble with testimonies of children being intentionally shot at. A Living Nightmare Despite a Supposed Ceasefire Gaza remains a profound humanitarian disaster. Essential medical supplies are failing to reach those in need, and international watchdogs contend that violations are ongoing. Authorities rejects these allegations, just as it denies each claim it is charged with. But while traumatised orphans are now suffering from the cold in temporary shelters, there is a little heartwarming news: nothing is going to stop the Eurovision from continuing with its stated mission of “togetherness and artistic sharing.” The contest will continue to extend a blood-red carpet for Israel, although at least four European countries have now withdrawn in objection. And this, it seems, is what unity resembles. Eurovision, of course excluded Russia from competing in 2022 over the “unprecedented crisis in Ukraine”. Yet the conflict in Gaza appears to be completely different. Contradictory Principles Disregard the reality that Israel was alleged to have used unfair vote practices last year in what appears to have been an effort to politicise Eurovision. Set aside the news that a young child was reportedly killed in Gaza recently. Neglect the data that settler violence and systematic expulsions in the West Bank have escalated. Disregard the condition that foreign reporters are still blocked from unfettered access in Gaza. None of this, evidently, should be allowed to get in the way of Eurovision’s much-touted ethos of unity. The Pageant Proceeds While Ignoring Unimaginable Suffering Eurovision turns 70 next year – nearly twice the projected longevity of an individual in Gaza at present. The show may go on, but it will find it impossible to reclaim the pure, unadulterated fun it historically embodied. An institution that initially championed togetherness has devolved into a transparent instrument to whitewash war.