Belgium's Ghent Festival organized an exceptional event titled "J'accuse" (I Accuse) to break the European silence on what participants described as the ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip , in a move aimed at holding European governments accountable for their complicity in the worsening humanitarian crisis.
The event's title is inspired by French writer Émile Zola's famous 1898 novel , in which he championed justice and called for breaking the silence to achieve fairness.
The initiative brought together Belgian intellectuals, human rights activists, and academics in a coordinated solidarity effort. Eric Goman, organizer and coordinator of the Ghent Festival discussions for 36 years, emphasized that the Gaza Strip "effectively ceases to exist" due to the massive destruction of infrastructure and homes.
"Extermination every day"
Goman described Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court , as a "war criminal who should be tried in The Hague," stressing the need not to ignore the Gaza issue in this year's discussions.
The Belgian organizer drew attention to shocking figures that reflect the scale of the humanitarian disaster, noting that 700,000 people, out of a total population of two million in the Gaza Strip, have been evacuated from their homes over the past three months.
He added that the number of children dying from malnutrition is constantly increasing, citing an Al Jazeera report that stated that 19 children died from malnutrition and 115 people were killed during food aid distribution.
Goman strongly rejected claims that the Israeli army is "the most moral army in the world," asserting that it commits documented war crimes.
He cited testimonies of Israeli soldiers forced by their commanders to shoot ordinary civilians trying to obtain bread, flour, and rice from food aid distribution points, emphasizing that senior officers should be tried for war crimes.
The organizer linked the current events to the broader historical context, asserting that "this genocide was written in the stars" as an inevitable consequence of Israel's policy of occupation and apartheid since 1948.
