03/06/2026
Last month, we had the honour of hosting Ilan Pappé and Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian as part of our UGent Palestine Talks – Spring 2026 lecture series. We wanted to share some images from these gatherings and warmly thank both speakers, as well as everyone who joined us.
In her lecture, Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian addressed the concept of “overkill” as a settler-colonial formation, examining how systematic violence operates not as excess, but as a structuring condition of life and death. In his lecture, Ilan Pappé reflected on the power of language and vocabulary in shaping the struggle for freedom in Palestine, particularly in the context of media narratives and political responses to the genocide in Gaza.
During his visit, Ilan Pappé also spent time at the Refaat encampment, led by courageous students who continue to push for UGent to cut institutional ties with Israeli institutions involved in violations of international law, a struggle they have sustained with determination over a long period, and continue to carry forward.
Just this morning, more than 4,700 staff members, students, and honourary doctors signed an open letter calling on all Belgian rectors to end institutional collaborations with Israeli institutions involved in violations of international law. With over 1,100 professors among the signatories, it marks one of the largest academic mobilisations in recent Belgian higher education history. Read the open letter here: https://shorturl.at/QGpqW
