A new acronym surfaced a couple of months following the onset of Israel’s bombardment of Gaza. Known as WCNSF, it means “Injured child with no living relatives”. This acronym is specific to Gaza, according to doctors including paediatricians. Normally, it is uncommon for doctors to attend to a minor who has been bereaved of their entire family. But, there has been no semblance of normality about the devastating conflict in Gaza, where whole bloodlines have been eradicated and the number of young amputees surpasses that of any other region in the world. No sense of normalcy about numerous doctors coming back from a devastated terrain with reports of children being intentionally shot at.
Gaza remains hell on earth. Vital medicines and equipment are failing to reach those in need, and groups like Amnesty International contend that violations are still being committed. Officials rejects these claims, just as it disavows each claim it is charged with. Yet as young survivors are now freezing in temporary shelters, there is a little heartwarming news: apparently nothing is going to stop the Eurovision song contest from pursuing its stated mission of “togetherness and artistic sharing.” Organizers will continue to offer a blood-red carpet for Israel, despite the fact that a number of European countries have now boycotted in dissent. Since this, apparently, is what global togetherness looks like.
The contest, notably prohibited Russia from competing in 2022 over the “serious conflict in Ukraine”. However, the situation in Gaza is treated differently.
Overlook the circumstance that Israel was criticized for questionable voting tactics last year in what appears to have been an effort to inject politics into Eurovision. Set aside the news that a young child was allegedly fatally struck in Gaza recently. Neglect the data that aggression from Israeli settlers and forced displacement in the West Bank have increased dramatically. Forget the fact that foreign reporters are still prevented from independent reporting in Gaza. None of this, apparently, should be allowed to get in the way of Eurovision’s cherished spirit of unity.
The contest turns 70 next year – nearly twice the current lifespan of someone in Gaza at present. The show may go on, but it will find it impossible to reclaim the whimsical pleasure it once represented. A contest that initially championed peace has transformed into a blatant mechanism to sanitize military aggression.
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