Queen Rania Abdullah, wife of Jordan's King Abdullah II, affirmed that "the world’s failure to stop the Israeli atrocities in Gaza presents an extremely dangerous precedent for the rest of the world." During a television interview on CBS in New York, she stated, "It is time for the international community, including the United States, to use its political influence to force Israel to end the war and allow aid to enter."
Queen Rania warned that Israel's actions are not just a betrayal of the people of Gaza, "but are, in fact, a betrayal of the guarantees that aim to ensure our collective safety." She added, "There is a sense of the selective application of humanitarian law and a feeling of injustice, a feeling that our lives have no equal value. This, I believe, certainly leads to a significant loss of credibility for the United States, and it causes us to reevaluate our perception of the global system."
She stated that "Israel's allies, when they fail to hold it accountable for its actions, create a culture of impunity. This has been the situation for decades, where Israel feels it is the exception to every international law and standard. You either become part of the international community and adhere to the rules, or you are a pariah state."
Queen Rania emphasized that "Gaza is now an example of a microcosm of the new global chaos... and of the collapse of international standards and the return of 'might makes right.' I believe this is extremely dangerous, not just for our region but for the entire world."
She highlighted the humanitarian disaster that Israel has created in Gaza, saying: "Entire cities have turned into wastelands, happy children in their growth stages have become mere skin and bones. 2.3 million people in a confined area live in hell every day. Unfortunately, Gaza now has the largest group of children with amputations, and every few days a child dies of hunger. We in the Arab world watch this war in live broadcasts daily; it has become an integral part of our lives and is extremely devastating."
She said, "If we do not flood Gaza with aid soon, we will face a collective famine. I do not know how the world can be happy doing that. It is a huge stain on our global conscience to see what is happening in slow motion without doing anything about it." She also called on the international community to prevent Israel from conducting a large-scale invasion of Rafah, describing it as "the end of the line" for the residents of Gaza, who "have been systematically pushed further south" since the war began.
Queen Rania explained that "stripping Palestinians of their humanity over decades within Israeli society has been a deliberate approach adopted by Israel to numb people to the suffering of Palestinians." She stated, "Israelis are surprised when the term genocide is used, because they can only see Palestinians as a security threat, and that they deserve what is happening to them."
She emphasized that dehumanization works both ways, "When you lose your ability to empathize with the other side, you become harsh and diminish your own humanity." In response to a question about the long-term impact of this war, and whether it might push younger generations towards extremism, Queen Rania agreed, noting that the war on Gaza could be "one of the largest mobilizing events we have seen in modern history, because it has alienated many people and made them feel that there is no justice in this world. This is a very dangerous place," adding that this war does not make Israel or the world a safer place.
