🔗 Share this article Eurovision Was Once a Whimsical Delight – But It Has Transformed Into a Strategic Method to Sanitize Conflict. A recent term surfaced a few months following the onset of Israel’s bombardment of Gaza. Known as WCNSF, it means “Child casualty without any family left”. This acronym is found only in Gaza, according to medical experts such as paediatricians. Ordinarily, it is uncommon for doctors to attend to a child who has seen the death of their whole family. Yet, there has been nothing “normal” about the devastating conflict in Gaza, where complete genealogies have been eradicated and the number of child amputees surpasses that of any other place in the world. Nothing normal about many doctors arriving back from a devastated terrain with testimonies of children being intentionally shot at. A Living Nightmare Regardless of a Reported Truce The Gaza Strip continues to be an utter catastrophe. Critical healthcare resources are being blocked those in need, and groups like Amnesty International have stated that atrocities are continuing. The Israeli government rejects these accusations, just as it disavows each claim it is implicated in. Meanwhile, while traumatised orphans are now freezing in temporary shelters, there is some ostensibly positive news: apparently nothing is going to stop the Eurovision song contest from continuing with its professed goal of “unity and artistic sharing.” Organizers will continue to roll out a blood-red carpet for Israel, despite the fact that at least four European countries have now pulled out in protest. Because this, it seems, is what global togetherness manifests as. Eurovision, of course banned Russia from participating in 2022 due to the “unprecedented crisis in Ukraine”. But the crisis in Gaza seems entirely distinct. A Double Standard Forget the fact that Israel was accused of questionable voting tactics last year in what seems to have been an bid to manipulate Eurovision. Ignore the report that a young child was reportedly killed in Gaza recently. Forget the fact that aggression from Israeli settlers and forced displacement in the West Bank have escalated. Forget the fact that global media are still denied unfettered access in Gaza. This entire context, apparently, should be seen as a barrier of Eurovision’s much-touted ethos of unity. The Pageant Proceeds While Ignoring Staggering Tragedy The contest reaches its seventieth anniversary next year – almost double the average life expectancy of a person in Gaza now. The show may go on, but it will find it impossible to reclaim the camp joy it once represented. A contest that was originally built on peace has devolved into a cynical way to sanitize military aggression.
A recent term surfaced a few months following the onset of Israel’s bombardment of Gaza. Known as WCNSF, it means “Child casualty without any family left”. This acronym is found only in Gaza, according to medical experts such as paediatricians. Ordinarily, it is uncommon for doctors to attend to a child who has seen the death of their whole family. Yet, there has been nothing “normal” about the devastating conflict in Gaza, where complete genealogies have been eradicated and the number of child amputees surpasses that of any other place in the world. Nothing normal about many doctors arriving back from a devastated terrain with testimonies of children being intentionally shot at. A Living Nightmare Regardless of a Reported Truce The Gaza Strip continues to be an utter catastrophe. Critical healthcare resources are being blocked those in need, and groups like Amnesty International have stated that atrocities are continuing. The Israeli government rejects these accusations, just as it disavows each claim it is implicated in. Meanwhile, while traumatised orphans are now freezing in temporary shelters, there is some ostensibly positive news: apparently nothing is going to stop the Eurovision song contest from continuing with its professed goal of “unity and artistic sharing.” Organizers will continue to roll out a blood-red carpet for Israel, despite the fact that at least four European countries have now pulled out in protest. Because this, it seems, is what global togetherness manifests as. Eurovision, of course banned Russia from participating in 2022 due to the “unprecedented crisis in Ukraine”. But the crisis in Gaza seems entirely distinct. A Double Standard Forget the fact that Israel was accused of questionable voting tactics last year in what seems to have been an bid to manipulate Eurovision. Ignore the report that a young child was reportedly killed in Gaza recently. Forget the fact that aggression from Israeli settlers and forced displacement in the West Bank have escalated. Forget the fact that global media are still denied unfettered access in Gaza. This entire context, apparently, should be seen as a barrier of Eurovision’s much-touted ethos of unity. The Pageant Proceeds While Ignoring Staggering Tragedy The contest reaches its seventieth anniversary next year – almost double the average life expectancy of a person in Gaza now. The show may go on, but it will find it impossible to reclaim the camp joy it once represented. A contest that was originally built on peace has devolved into a cynical way to sanitize military aggression.