AMMAN – Her
Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah underscored the urgent need for a ceasefire in
the Gaza Strip, calling on Israel to end the war and its obstruction of
critically-needed humanitarian aid. She also stressed that widespread hunger in
Gaza is not a natural disaster, describing it as a “man-made, Israeli-made
disaster.”
اضافة اعلان
“This
has been a slow motion, mass murder of children, five months in the making.
Children who were thriving and healthy just months ago are wasting away in
front of their parents,” Queen Rania said, in a remote interview with CNN’s
Christiane Amanpour on Monday.
“It
is absolutely shameful, outrageous, and entirely predictable what's happening
in Gaza today – because it was deliberate,” she added.
Marking
the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Queen Rania explained that the
people of Jordan were welcoming the holy days with heavy hearts.
“Ramadan is typically defined with family
gatherings, people coming together, sharing a meal and breaking their fast
together – but what is it like for the people of Gaza today, who are now hungry
and thirsty in tents or makeshift shelters…who are mourning their dead and
mourning the life that they had just a few months ago?” she asked.
Her
Majesty spoke to Amanpour from the King Abdullah II Airbase, where food and
relief aid are prepared and dispatched directly to the people of Gaza via
airdrop. Since the outbreak of Israel’s war on Gaza, the Jordanian Armed Forces
- Arab Army has conducted 38 solo Jordanian airdrops, as well as 46 with
partners.
Describing
air drops as “resorting to desperate measures in order to address a desperate
situation,” Her Majesty emphasized that air drops alone could never meet the
needs of the people of Gaza, noting that His Majesty King Abdullah has
explained they are “neither sufficient, nor are they a substitute for
humanitarian access at scale.”
The
Queen underlined that countries should not use the execution of airdrops as an
excuse not to take more decisive measures, including calling for Israel to
begin “implementing an immediate and sustained ceasefire; opening all access
points into Gaza, particularly land routes; streamlining the inspection
process; and making sure that there is safe access within Gaza so that the aid
can be distributed.”
Queen
Rania explained that Jordan began organizing humanitarian aid drops to Gaza
because they could not “sit idle” as people went hungry.
“Children
are starving as we speak, so every moment and every meal counts.” she said. Her
Majesty also called on other nations to use their political leverage to push
Israel to implement a ceasefire and drastically increase aid access.
Elaborating
on the scale of the hunger crisis in Gaza, the Queen reported that, according
to the United Nations, every single person in Gaza today is hungry. “Over a
quarter of the population – that's more than 550,000 people – are one step away
from famine. Experts say that they have never seen a population descend into
such mass hunger so rapidly,” she said.
“In
the north of Gaza, people are not on the verge of starvation, they're actually
dying of starvation,” she stated. “It starts with the most vulnerable: the elderly,
the wounded, babies. We're hearing of an increasing number of babies who are
dying from severe malnutrition and thirst, and if things don't change, I think
these cases are going to be spiraling throughout the Strip.”
Queen
Rania noted that, while she was pleased to hear of plans to open new access
points to Gaza, tons of food aid are currently sitting in trucks just miles
away from people dying of starvation.
“Since
the beginning of this war, Israel has cut off everything that is required to
sustain a human life: food, fuel, shelter, medicine, water…” she commented. She
explained that this has left the people of Gaza completely reliant on outside
assistance, much of which Israel systematically denies and delays.
She
also stated that Israel has engaged in “occasionally bombing some of the
convoys that bring this assistance, and shooting at some of the people who are
trying to get whatever scarce resources that they can.”
“As
devastating and as traumatic as October 7 was, it doesn't give Israel license
to commit atrocity after atrocity,” Her Majesty asserted. “Israel experienced
one October 7. Since then, the Palestinians have experienced 156 “October 7s.”
They have been going through this every day,” she said.
The
Queen commended nations that have called for a ceasefire in Gaza, cooperated
with Jordan on humanitarian airdrops, and exhibited solidarity with
Palestinians. However, she noted that many in the Middle East who once admired
Western values are now “disillusioned and disappointed,” which has hurt the
credibility of Western nations and ideals.
Her
Majesty also expanded on the context of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict,
explaining that Palestinians have endured more than 50 years “of oppression, of
occupation, of having their movement restricted, having every aspect of their
lives dominated, and being humiliated.”
She
also stated that, even before October 7th, Israeli settlement
expansion reached record highs last year, and that, despite global opposition
to settlement-building, the construction of 3,500 new illegal settlements in
the West Bank was recently approved by the Israeli government.
“As
long as Israel is allowed to get away with breaking international law – as long
as its allies don't hold it accountable – it will just increase its sense of
impunity,” she said.
Queen
Rania further explained that the “ubiquitous” dehumanization of Palestinians
within Israeli society fosters a kill-or-be-killed mentality.
“I
think it's no coincidence that we're witnessing one of the most violent
episodes of this conflict under one of the most hardline, racist governments in
Israel's history,” Her Majesty asserted, stressing that there is no shortcut to
lasting peace without addressing the occupation, the root cause of the
conflict.
“If
you want to safeguard Israel's security, there is no better way to do it than
through a just and comprehensive peace,” she said. “Israeli leaders must stop
treating the existence of Palestinians as an inconvenient truth, as a
demographic challenge, as a [lawn] that needs to be mowed every now and then.
Palestinians are here to stay.”
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