Jordan Times
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Queen warns of attempts
to rob Palestinians of their ‘identity’
AMMAN (JT) - Her Majesty Queen Rania called for greater political courage in
resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in an address at Yale University in
Connecticut on Tuesday.
Following remarks by Yale President Richard Levin, Her Majesty reflected on the
desperate plight of the Palestinian people, underlining the deprivation and
despair brought about by years of instability and stalled hopes.
“Their pain is about more than the loss of their land, their olive trees, their
livelihoods. Their grief is about more than being kicked out of the homes in
which their families have lived for generations,” she said.
Describing the “identity theft” Palestinians have endured for over 60 years, Her
Majesty added: “Each new claim on their ever-shrinking space feels like a blow
to their very existence. Having no place to call their own is like having no
identity at all.”
In contrast to the many historical changes that have occurred in the past few
decades bringing positive developments and progress across the globe, the Queen
expressed regret that the Palestinian cause still remains unresolved.
“When it comes to Palestine, time has not been a friend. To the contrary,
sometimes Palestine seems like the land that time forgot,” she noted.
“In Palestine, walls are going up, not coming down, four hundred kilometres to
be precise. The decades have brought what feels like an endless parade of starts
and stalemates, missed opportunities, shattered hopes and diminishing returns,”
the Queen added.
Addressing 1,500 Yale students in the auditorium and through a live feed, Queen
Rania also took the opportunity to highlight the desperate humanitarian crisis
in Gaza, where 1.1 million people, almost 70 per cent of the population, live as
refugees with their homes lying in rubble.
On the political front, she said, the path to peaceful coexistence requires
courage, accountability and action, including a sustained commitment from the
international community and the Arab world.
“We decry the actions of Israeli extremists, but must work harder to rein in our
own. We look to the West to do more in support of Palestinian needs, but must do
our part - and must press the Palestinians toward unity among themselves,” the
Queen said.
Citing His Majesty King Abdullah, Queen Rania also emphasised that it is time
for Israel to choose: “To integrate into the region, accepted and accepting,
with normal relations with its neighbours. Or to remain fortress Israel,
isolated, and holding itself and the entire region a hostage to continuing
confrontation.”
In her address, the Queen also expressed appreciation of diplomatic efforts led
by the US, and President Barack Obama’s assertions to resolve the
Palestinian-Israeli conflict on the basis of the two-state solution.
Fulfilling the Palestinians’ hopes to establish their state, Her Majesty
emphasised, would also strengthen security and stability in the entire region as
“the crisis in Palestine does not exist in a vacuum”.
“True peace depends not just on new lines on a map. It is not just the walls on
the land that must go. We must take down the walls in our hearts. There has been
so much pain, so much loss, so much fear, so much hatred and mistrust. True
peace depends on reconnecting the bonds of our common humanity,” she noted.
To the cynicism that threatens the hope of achieving peace and to those who
believe the problem remains intractable, Her Majesty repeated: “If we throw up
our hands and say, ‘This problem is too hard,’ we’re not just writing off a
‘process’ or writing off a ‘roadmap’. We’re writing off people’s lives.”
To truly make peace in the Middle East, or anywhere in the world, “We all have
to learn to think into other people’s places. To put ourselves in other people’s
shoes. To make room for other people’s hopes and fears. For the more we can
appreciate one another’s perspective, the more dimension and depth we add to our
own,” the Queen concluded.
Following the remarks, Her Majesty participated in a Q&A session with the
students led by Levin. And in honour of her visit to Yale University, the
president announced the establishment of a Queen Rania Fellowship for Middle
Eastern Studies. The fellowship will be awarded in 2010 to an incoming student
from the Middle East region.
Later, the Queen met with representatives from the Yale World Fellow Programme,
the Council for Middle Eastern Studies and the Arab Student Association.