TEHRAN - Israel may feel it has weakened Hamas and Hezbollah and now entertains the illusion that it is time to create a “new Middle East” and a “Greater Israel.” Yet these fleeting feelings of victory have come at the cost of unspeakable tragedy for civilians in Gaza.

What may prove even more damaging to Israel is the erosion of its global image. Increasingly, it is perceived as a regime of cruelty, even among populations whose governments remain allied with it.

Public sentiment has spilled into cultural arenas. Ireland, Spain, Slovenia, Iceland, and the Netherlands have boycotted the 2026 Eurovision in protest at Israel’s participation. Surveys in the United Kingdom suggest that 82 percent of respondents believe Israel should be excluded, while 69 percent say the UK itself should withdraw if Israel is allowed to compete.

The most symbolic rebuke came from Switzerland’s 2024 Eurovision winner, Nemo, who announced they would return their trophy after Israel was cleared to participate in next year’s contest. “Although Eurovision claims to stand for unity, inclusion, and dignity for all, Israel’s inclusion conflicts with those aims,” Nemo wrote on Instagram. “Today I no longer feel this trophy belongs on my shelf.”

Israel is widely viewed as a genocidal regime, no matter that Senator Tom Cotton has called the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) a “kangaroo court” and called its chief prosecutor Karim Khan a deranged fanatic for issuing an arrest warrant against Benjamin Netanyahu for war crimes and crimes against humanity or German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has publicly stated he cannot imagine Netanyahu being arrested in Germany.

As political scientist John Mearsheimer has noted, the atrocities committed by Germany against Jews during World War II were not witnessed in real time; Israel’s actions against Palestinians are unfolding before the world’s eyes.

By inviting Israel to the world’s largest live music event, the European Broadcasting Union cannot whitewash the genocide in Gaza. The tragedies of Gaza’s people will remain etched in global memory, and Eurovision itself has become a measure of international sentiment against Israel.