Queen Rania of Jordan accused Western leaders of a “glaring double standard” for failing to condemn the killing of innocent Palestinian civilians under Israeli bombardment in Gaza.
“When October 7 happened, the world immediately and unequivocally stood by Israel and its right to defend itself and condemned the attack that happened … but what we’re seeing in the last couple of weeks, we’re seeing silence in the world,” said Queen Rania in an recent interview with CNN.
“This is the first time in modern history that there is such human suffering and the world is not even calling for a ceasefire,” Queen Rania added. “So the silence is deafening – and to many in our region, it makes the Western world complicit... Are we being told that it is wrong to kill a family, an entire family, at gunpoint, but it’s OK to shell them to death? I mean, there is a glaring double standard here,” she said. “It is just shocking to the Arab world.”
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, at least 6,546 Palestinians have killed by Israeli missiles within the last two weeks, with a devastating majority being civilians, including over 2,300 children, 1,200 women, and 295 elderly individuals. Additionally, more than 16,200 people have been wounded, straining already overwhelmed hospitals. The crisis has also led to the displacement of over 1.5 million Palestinians who are currently seeking refuge in Southern Gaza amidst concerns of a ground invasion by Israeli forces.
“As a mom, we’ve seen Palestinian mothers who have to write the names of their children on their hands – because the chances of them being shelled to death, of their bodies turning into corpses are so high,” Rania said. “I just want to remind the world that Palestinian mothers love their children just as much as any other mother in the world.”
Amidst the escalating humanitarian crisis, the United Nations and various aid organizations have called for a ceasefire and unimpeded access for humanitarian aid to Gaza. Doctors in Gaza have raised alarms about the dire consequences of power shortages, particularly for vulnerable patients such as critically injured individuals and premature infants in need of life-saving incubators. The situation in Gaza remains critical, requiring immediate and sustained international attention and action.
