Queen Rania of Jordan, born in Kuwait to Palestinian parents and raised in the West Bank, has launched a passionate critique of Western nations. Continue reading 

She accuses countries supporting Israel's actions against Hamas of "aiding and abetting" the killing of Palestinians and condemns what she sees as a "glaring double standard" in the response to these deaths.

Queen Rania expressed her strong disapproval of Israel's shelling of Gaza and criticized the Western world, which she perceives as complicit. 

While she did not directly condemn Hamas, she referred to Israel as "an apartheid regime" that "occupies, oppresses, and commits daily documented crimes against Palestinians." In her view, the ongoing 75-year conflict represents a struggle for freedom and justice.

She also criticized U.S. President Joe Biden for initially mentioning photos of babies allegedly beheaded by Hamas, which was later retracted by the White House as unconfirmed. 

Queen Rania pointed out the "shocking" difference in global responses to the killing of Israelis by Hamas and the killing of Gazans by Israel, emphasizing the double standards in international reactions to the conflict.

Amanpour initiated the conversation by inquiring how the 53-year-old queen had been feeling since the Hamas attack on October 7, addressing her emotions from different perspectives – as an Arab, a Palestinian, a mother, and as a human being.

In response, Queen Rania expressed her inability to fully convey the depth of the grief, pain, and shock experienced in Jordan following the attack. She noted that her country, which has the world's largest Palestinian population, is unified in grief regardless of their origin.

Rania was deeply disturbed by the distressing images of mothers resorting to writing their child's name on their limbs to ensure identification in case of casualties from airstrikes. She emphasized that Palestinian mothers' love for their children is no different from mothers anywhere in the world.

The queen strongly condemned the killing of Palestinians, referring to it as "butchery." She questioned the notion of self-defense when faced with the staggering numbers of casualties, including 6,000 civilians and 2,400 children, in a situation where precision weapons are being employed at a massive scale. 

She decried the indiscriminate bombardment of Gaza, resulting in the loss of entire families, the destruction of residential neighborhoods, and the targeting of essential facilities and personnel.

Additionally, Queen Rania, who had a career at Citibank and in Apple's marketing department before her marriage to King Abdullah in 1993, expressed the anger in the Arab world regarding what is perceived as Western hypocrisy in the situation.Read more