May Ling Su

NEW Queen Rania of Jordan continues to speak out on Israel and Gaza. In her second interview on CNN since October 7, Queen Rania is even more critical of the Israeli government and anyone who pushes back against a cease fire. Summary of interview: There has to be a collective call for a cease fire. I know there are people who say that calling for a cease fire is helping Hamas, but in that call they are justifying and endorsing the death of thousands of civilians. That is morally reprehensible. It is also short sighted. If you eliminate all of Hamas, what next? The root cause of this conflict is an illegal occupation, routine human rights abuses, illegal settlements, disregard to UN resolutions, and international law. If we do not address these root causes, you can kill the combatant, but you can’t kill the cause. Another group will rise. Another group more determined than Hamas. Israel needs to realize, if it wants its security, the surest route is through peace. Not the strongest military, or the most capable intelligence services, or the iron dome. If we want to make sure that we are never in this situation agin, we have to ask ourselves how we got there. After the Oslo Accords, in 1996 a poll was taken that 80 percent of Palestinians supported the accords and support for violent resistance dropped to 20 percent. If Palestinians had a political horizon, they themselves would be against any form of violence. But they need to be given that prospect. I cannot begin to describe the scale and scope of the catastrophic humanitarian crisis. There’s an acronym in Gaza, WCNSF - wounded child with no surviving family, that is an acronym that should never exist. I think the world is screaming, how many people have to die for our global conscience to awake. Or is it forever dormant when it comes to the Palestinians? After 10,000 people have been killed, for the Israelis to claim they are protecting human life is an insult to our intelligence. There is no safe place in Gaza. Even the so-called safe zones are being hit. I do not believe these evacuation orders are for the benefit of Gaza civilians. They are not the target audience, the rest of the world is. Israel is trying to legitimize its actions. Of course the use of human shields is criminal. But even if one side puts human beings in harms way, that civilian is still protected under international law. I find it really outrageous when Israeli officials audaciously dismiss Palestinian casualties as “human shields.” In the most crowded areas of Gaza, a civilian death is a foregone conclusion and that makes it a war crime. On antisemitism and Islamophobia: I absolutely and wholeheartedly condemn antisemitism and Islamophobia, it’s never ok and never justified to attack someone based on their political beliefs. I also want to remind everyone that Israel does not represent all the Jewish people in the world. Israel is a state and it alone is responsible for its own crimes. Jewish people around the world are appalled by what they’re seeing. Muslims have to be the first to condemn antisemitism. This is not about religion, this is about politics. Antisemitism is being weaponized to shut down criticism of Israel. Let me be very clear, being pro-Palestinian is not being antisemitic.