Joe Biden Gets Royal Rebuke Over Israel

Queen Rania of Jordan said "there is a glaring double standard" on the part Joe Biden and Western leaders for "not even calling for a ceasefire" in Gaza.

Hamas militants crossed from the Gaza Strip into Southern Israel on October 7 and killed more than 1,400, according to the Associated Press news agency.

In response, Israel carried out its heaviest ever aerial bombardment of the Gaza Strip and by the 19th day of the war on Wednesday, AP reported 5,791 Palestinians had been killed, citing the Hamas-run Health Ministry. There were another 96 Palestinian deaths in the West Bank.

Queen Rania, who was born in Kuwait to Palestinian parents, told CNN: "Are we being told that it is wrong to kill a family, an entire family, at gunpoint—but it's okay to shell them to death? I mean, there is a glaring double standard here. And it's just shocking to the Arab world.

"This is the first time in modern history that there is such human suffering and the world is not even calling for a ceasefire. So the silence is deafening and to many in the region it makes the Western world complicit through their support and through the cover that they give Israel that its just trying to defend itself.

"Many in the Arab world are looking at the Western world as not just tolerating this but aiding and abetting it."

Her comments came after Biden was this week asked whether there should be a deal to exchange the release of hostages for a ceasefire.

He replied: "We should have a ceasefire—not a ceasefire—we should have those hostages released and then we can talk."

During her interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour, the queen described her sadness over the scale of death and said: "Palestinian mothers love their children just as much as any other mother."

"I cannot begin to describe to you the depth of the grief, the pain and the shock that we are feeling here in Jordan," she said. "All of us are united in this grief regardless of our origin.

"We just can't believe the images we are seeing everyday coming out of Gaza. We are going to bed seeing those images and waking up to them.

"As a mom, we've seen Palestinian mothers who have to write the names of their children on their hands—because the chances of them being shelled to death, of their bodies turning into corpses are so high. I just want to remind the world that Palestinian mothers love their children just as much as any other mother in the world and for them to have to go through this is just unbelievable."

"We are seeing butchery at a mass scale using precision weapons," she added. "For the past two weeks, we have seen the indiscriminate bombardment of Gaza. Entire families wiped out, residential neighborhoods flattened to the ground, the targeting of hospitals, schools, churches, mosques, medical workers, journalists, U.N. aid workers—how is that self defense?"

At a U.N. meeting on Tuesday, Israel's Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said: "Tell me, what is a proportionate response for killing of babies, for rape (of) women and burn them, for beheading a child?"

"How can you agree to a ceasefire with someone who swore to kill and destroy your own existence?" he added, according to AP.

How Britain's Royal Family Reacted

The Jordanian queen's words came days after British royals broke their silence on the conflict in the Middle East on October 11.

A spokesperson for King Charles said: "This is a situation His Majesty is extremely concerned about, and he has asked to be kept actively updated.

"His thoughts and prayers are with all of those suffering, particularly those who have lost loved ones, but also those actively involved. His Majesty is appalled by and condemns the barbaric acts of terrorism in Israel."

Kensington Palace referenced Prince William's 2018 visit to Israel and the West Bank in its response: "The Prince and Princess of Wales are profoundly distressed by the devastating events that have unfolded in the past days.

"The horrors inflicted by Hamas's terrorist attack upon Israel are appalling; they utterly condemn them. As Israel exercises its right of self defence, all Israelis and Palestinians will continue to be stalked by grief, fear and anger in the time to come.

"Their Royal Highnesses hold all the victims, their families and their friends in their hearts and minds. Those The Prince of Wales met in 2018 overwhelmingly shared a common hope—that of a better future.

"In the midst of such terrible suffering, The Prince and Princess continue to share that hope without reservation."

An October 12 statement on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Archewell website read: "At The Archewell Foundation, with Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, we stand against all acts of terrorism and brutality.

"We are supporting our partners and organizations on the frontlines in Israel to provide the urgent aid needed, and to help all innocent victims of this unconscionable level of human suffering."

Jack Royston is chief royal correspondent for Newsweek, based in London. You can find him on X, formerly Twitter, at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.

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