AMMAN: Queen Rania of Jordan on Tuesday blasted Western leaders for their “glaring double standard” as deadly Israeli bombardment in Gaza and blockade worsened the humanitarian crisis.
Over 5,700 Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip have been martyred in the air strikes, including over 2,300 children, 1,200 women and 295 elderly people.
According to Gaza officials, over 16,200 are wounded as hospitals warn of collapse in the wake of low supplies due to Israeli blockade since October 7 in response to Hamas attacks.
In an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, Queen Rania who is also of Palestinian descent said, “The people all around the Middle East, including in Jordan, we are just shocked and disappointed by the world’s reaction to this catastrophe that is unfolding.”
She regretted the Western world’s “glaring double standard” and added that Arabs perceive the criminal support to Israel as “aiding and abetting” the mass killings of civilians 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,” Queen Rania said.
“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.”
