“We all deserve a world based on justice and equality, where the rule of law prevails over the rule of force. We deserve a global system that meets war crimes and violations with consequences, not exceptions. We deserve to know that our value is not determined by the passport we carry or the colour of our skin, but by our very humanity,” said Rania Al-Abdullah, speaking at the annual One Young World Summit in Montreal, Canada.
“Try to imagine what life is like under the crushing occupation,” she continued. “Learn about the Palestinians’ deep ties to the land and olive trees that they inherited from their ancestors.”
“I feel it is imperative today to shine a light on this particular conflict, because in the occupied Palestinian territories an unprecedented reality is being imposed. Israeli annexation of Palestinian territory, the blockade of the Gaza Strip, settler attacks in the West Bank, oppression and injustice have all become part of our global order, with profound implications for the future you will inherit,” she added.
“Today is the International Day of Peace. And here we are again, meeting on a day dedicated to peace, forced to discuss the reality of war. Gaza has always been described as an open prison, and today it has become a suffocating cell,” she continued, noting that this war has not only set the Gaza Strip back decades, but is also dragging the rest of the world into chaos.
She stressed that “by continuing to provide military, economic and diplomatic cover for Israel, many world powers are sending a terrifying message about our future: that this is what future wars will look like.”
“In the Gaza Strip, an entire generation has grown up knowing nothing but restrictions. After 17 years of military siege, and 12 months of near-total blockade, their resources, their ability to endure, and their options have run out. All that remains are impossible and shameful choices,” she added.
“When I look at Gaza today, I see only false choices,” she continued. “Either a quick death from bombs and bullets, or a slow death from hunger and disease. No possibilities, only inevitabilities. These are not choices at all.”
“There is no room for patience,” she added. “We must demand something different. Not a temporary cessation of aggression, not a return to an unacceptable status quo, but a genuine and just peace, based on universal respect for dignity, humanity and the right to self-determination. To achieve this, we must return to the roots of this conflict: the illegal occupation of Palestine.”
“Peace does not happen by chance,” she said. “Peace, like hope, is a choice, a choice our world has failed to make for far too long. It is time to choose another path. And your generation can help pave the way.”
Source: Ammon
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2024-09-22 20:34:53
