Rania Al Abdullah, the Queen consort of Jordan and wife to King Abdullah II, said on Tuesday that there is what she describes as a “glaring double standard” in the Western world’s reaction to the Hamas massacre on October 7 and Operation Swords of Iron, claiming that much of the reaction is more sympathetic towards Israelis who were negatively impacted by the conflict than Palestinians.
Rania, who is of Palestinian descent, made this statement during an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, where she notes that the people of Jordan are feeling “shock, grief, and pain” in reaction to the images of civilians impacted in Gaza.
“I think that people all around the Middle East, including Jordan, we are just shocked and disappointed by the world’s reaction to this catastrophe that is unfolding.
The full interview can be viewed below:
In a world exclusive, @QueenRania of Jordan spoke with me about the ongoing bombing of Gaza, civilian deaths, the massacres of October 7, and what she calls “a glaring double standard” in the West’s reaction to all this. Watch our full conversation. pic.twitter.com/68QUO3Vez9
— Christiane Amanpour (@amanpour) October 24, 2023
“In the last couple of weeks, we have been seeing a glaring double standard in the world. 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,” she continued, referring to the Gazan civilians that have severely been impacted negatively by the war.
“Countries abroad stopped expressing concern” – Rania
She claimed that countries worldwide have stopped expressing concern or acknowledging the casualties in Gaza and instead expressing support for Israel.
“Are we being told that it is wrong to kill an entire family at gunpoint, but it’s okay to shell them to death? This is the first time in modern history that there is such human suffering and the world is not even calling for a ceasefire.
“Are we being told that it is wrong to kill an entire family at gunpoint, but it’s okay to shell them to death?”
Queen Rania Al Abdullah
The Queen consort continued by saying that the silence for Palestinian rights is deafening and that many believe that such silence makes the Western world complicit in the suffering of Gazan civilians.
Amanpour then asked Rania what she felt during October 7 of the Hamas massacre, to which she stated that the attack shocked her and that the country of Jordan “condemns the killing of any civilians, whether they are Palestinian or Israeli.” She also noted that it is also Islam’s position to condemn the killing of civilians, and then reiterated her belief that there is no equal condemnation of the Israeli airstrikes in Gaza.
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