Queen Rania calls for the protection of Palestinian children at ‘Save the Children’ event

AMMAN — Her Majesty Queen Rania called for the protection of Palestinian children from “the very worst” of humanity, stressing that “a child is a child, and all children deserve to be protected.”

Speaking in New York on Monday at a High-Level event hosted by Save the Children on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly Week, Her Majesty noted that the sound of a child’s cry anywhere would elicit “a visceral reaction” that can “drive every other thought from our minds,”  according to a statement from Her Majesty's Office.

“Yet, as we speak, an entire generation of Palestinian children is crying out to the world, and the adults are choosing to look away,” she said. “More than immoral, it is unnatural.”

Commenting on the normalisation of Palestinian children’s suffering, Her Majesty stated: “The easiest way to justify harming a child is to un-child them: age them up, demonise them, group them together in the tens of thousands, so that they blur together into one faceless mass.”

Stressing that these children are not numbers, Queen Rania mentioned the stories of a number of Palestinian children killed by Israeli aggression in recent months including Mahmoud, a boy in ninth-grade, killed while riding his bicycle home from school in Jenin, Tala, a little girl in pink roller skates killed by shrapnel on her way out to play, and four-day old twins Asser and Aissel, killed on the same day their birth certificates were issued.

“The early years are meant to be a time of wonder – of exploration, innocence, and play,” the Queen said, contrasting that to the daily reality of children in Gaza, who are being forced to take on the responsibilities and burdens of adults.

Her Majesty insisted that “the adults of the world are failing the children of Palestine,” and must do better. “The bloodshed must end. The bombs must stop falling. Aid access must resume without exception,” she added.

Save the Children’s High-Level Event, titled ‘Shattered Futures in the Occupied Palestinian Territory - Children's Perspectives,’ was co-sponsored by Jordan, Belgium, Spain, Ireland, Slovenia, South Africa, Colombia, Algeria, Malaysia, and the European Union. 

The event brought together a number of children from the Occupied Palestinian Territories to express their perspectives directly to decision makers. Palestinian children joined via video link humanitarians who have recently returned from Gaza, as well as representatives of several countries and United Nations agencies, for a discussion on the mental health, education, and protection needs of Palestinian children.

During the event, Save the Children US President and CEO Janti Soeripto called for an immediate ceasefire, an end to attacks on education facilities, more resources to reconstruct schools, as well as the provision of psychosocial support for both students and teachers.

Soeripto also acknowledged that the lives of children throughout occupied Palestine have been shattered with no apparent end to the ongoing war and stated that the conflicting parties and the international community must do their utmost to end the violence and suffering and create the peaceful future that future generations deserve. 

For her part, Save the Children International CEO Inger Ashing noted that the situation in the West Bank, “is rapidly deteriorating” and across the territory “children’s rights to education is under siege.” 

“Palestinian children’s wellbeing wherever they may be is gravely impacted. Living in a world of instability, economic crisis, repeated exposure to traumatic events, constantly fearing that their whole lives will be upturned at any time is creating a profound sense of hopelessness among many Palestinian children,” she said. 

Ashing also urged the guests and speakers in attendance to “really listen carefully to what children have to say, to hear their calls, and to really ensure that we are all taking action to protect their rights not only to live but their rights to thrive.”

Other speakers at the event included Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa, Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob, Irish Taoiseach Simon Harris, and UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini.